The Man made from machine
by Enchanted Mask
Summary: Lily Dover was simply an ordinary citizen, and she had lived in the city of Detroit her whole life. But with the introduction of one blue-blooded, coin-flipping, evidence-licking robot, her world was changed forever… (Connor X OC)
1. Chapter 1: His name is Connor

**This story is dedicated to Beth**

**One of the sweetest, loveliest and most amazing people I've ever met. I'm lucky to have her as one of my closest friends. She's also a dedicated Connor fangirl like me, and the first person to have read this story when it was first being created in the early summer of 2018. So this is for you Beth :3 **

**I love ya, fellow deviant ;)**

**EM**

**xoxo **

XXX

_10:39pm Friday November 5th 2038_

Lily leaned back in her chair with a yawn, stretching her tired muscles.

"_Remember, remember, the fifth of November_", she thought while looking at her computer's calendar.

It was a rainy Friday night and she had told Captain Fowler she wanted to stay late for some paid overtime, although the real excuse was much more meaningful. The truth was that she stayed because she wanted to keep an eye on Hank, her co-worker, although that was proven to be more difficult than expected, seeing as he had wandered out of the department earlier that evening without her knowing.

The last few days had allowed Lily to keep a watchful eye on Lt Anderson, as she had been very recently promoted to his rank and he was told to give her a helping hand with her new responsibilities as a lieutenant in the DCPD. Despite working closely with Hank, such as taking the desk nearby so they could discuss case files more easily, Lily had clearly noticed he had been a lot more down and irritable lately.

Although, he _was_ sarcastic and grumpy a lot of the time, she could only hope it had nothing to do with the extra work he was tasked with; the last thing Lily wanted was to wear her partner down. Truth be told, Lily had known Hank for years. He had been an old family friend, and Hank was the one who had helped the young lieutenant through her parents' messy divorce and her Father's unfortunate _accident_ shortly after.

Now, it was Lily's turn to help him out. She knew about Hank's own grievous relationship with his wife, who had cheated on him before leaving Hank and his son, Cole, completely alone. It had been hard on the big guy, although Lily had made certain to help out whenever she could in taking care of the 6-year-old boy.

She could remember the night Cole died. It had been 3 years ago and Hank had never fully recovered from it. Lily could still remember her reaction when he called her up about an hour after dropping her to her apartment block, telling her that they had been in a car accident, and Cole was hurt badly. She had spent the night in the hospital with Hank, comforting him, talking to him, making sure he was okay.

He had mostly been in denial, and after leaving the hospital it had only gotten worse. Hank's squeaky-clean work record was trashed, as he would be caught secretly drinking at his desk and showing up to work at all hours.

"_I guess the only reason Captain Fowler hasn't fired Hank yet is because the two were classmates back in the day_", Lily thought to herself as she yawned again and chewed her pencil, looking back over the case files.

But through thick and thin, Hank and Lily had had each other's backs for years. Their relationship was similar to that of a loving uncle and niece. Sure, Hank could be cranky and annoying like a grizzly bear that had woken up from hibernation too soon, but Lily always remembered the loving, cheerful jokey Hank that she knew years ago, and by hell she wasn't going to give up on him any time soon.

So, Lily was more than surprised when a shadow fell over her desk and a polite but calm voice softly spoke to her.

"Excuse me, Miss?"

Lily looked up from the case file in her hands and she could've sworn she felt her own heart dance and flutter around inside her ribcage. Before her stood a dark-haired, distinguished young man with the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen. They were deep brown and resembled melted chocolate, warm and inviting.

A strong jawline, a chiselled chin that could've been sculpted by _angels_, and a smart knowingness in the stranger's bright, shining eyes which sparkled as if there was no one he wanted to look at more than her. Lily's eyes flickered down quickly to get a better look at him; the guy wore a neatly pressed dove-grey jacket, smart black trousers with matching shoes and a spotless white shirt accompanying a silk grey tie.

Whoever he was, it was certain that he was absolutely _gorgeous_.

"_Does he have a girlfriend_?", Lily first thought involuntarily, before her senses returned. "_Stop staring! You'll weird him out. Anyway, I can't judge him based solely on his appearance; he could be like, a total creeper or something_".

Lily's eyes met with the stranger's gaze again, as she knew it would be rude to do nothing but stare at him when he had tried to talk to her. "_He seems too genuine to be a creeper, he doesn't look like he can hurt a fly_". Putting on a polite smile, knowing it was proper manners, Lily cleared her throat before speaking.

"Hello, can I help you?", she was hoping maybe he was a new recruit, then she could find out more about who he was. The handsome guy straightened his tie professionally, his eyes never leaving hers, glimmering brightly with fascination.

"My name is Connor. I'm the android sent by CyberLife; I've been assigned to work alongside the DCPD", he spoke very clearly in a polite, professional tone.

In her head, something clicked. Lily _did_ remember the Captain mentioning that a prototype android was being sent to help out with the recent spike in criminal cases relating to deviants.

_Deviants_. Rogue androids that supposedly became crazy and violent for no apparent reason. The knowledge of deviants - and the fact that many times she had been forced to help detain and capture them - had left Lily a little wary of the android workers around the city. Still, most of them were very helpful and kind to humans, or as far as she had seen, but it didn't stop her hearing about the occasional horror story about mad, killer androids that lured away children and murdered innocent people.

She felt a little bit embarrassed at not realising that the newcomer was an android, suddenly also noticing the LED processing unit on Connor's right temple and the glowing blue band above his right elbow.

Lily simply did not know how to react to knowing that this handsome stranger was actually an android. "_I guess it explains why he's so perfect-looking_", she thought sadly to herself. But, she knew it was unfair to treat him differently just because he was a man made out of wires and plastic, despite it being controversially debateable about whether or not androids _were_ actual people.

"Nice to meet you, Connor", Lily got up from her desk with a smile, and held out her hand to him politely. "I'm Lieutenant Dover, but you can call me Lily".

"Pleased to meet you", Connor said softly before his eyes flickered over her outstretched hand, unsure of how he should respond. Not wanting to be rude but still hesitant nonetheless, he cautiously put his own palm against hers, feeling the lieutenant's warm skin.

"_He has a very firm grip_", she thought to herself.

"However, I would believe my superiors wish me to show professionalism and respect at all times to my human co-workers, so I must insist that I call you _Lieutenant_ as long as that is fine with you, lieutenant", the android explained, his gaze never leaving her face. Lily sat back down stiffly, wanting to shift away from the slightly odd introduction.

"So, why are you here at this time of the night, Connor?", she asked, as the android awkwardly took his hand away.

"A case has been assigned tonight, a homicide, but I was however unable to locate Lieutenant Anderson", Connor stared deeply into Lily's grey eyes. "You two are partners, in a way, am I right?"

"Oh yeah, me and Hank have been friends since way back. We're sort of paired up right now cause he's just helping me out with getting used to my promotion", Lily dragged her eyes away to her computer screen and began to scroll through the case files again, but still making sure she was paying full attention on Connor.

"Very well, would you be able to help me find him then?"

"Sure thing, Hank is probs out…", Lily's voice quietened as she felt a lump in her throat start to rise, something that didn't go unnoticed by Connor before she put back on another smile and turned to look at him again.

"He'll be out having a drink, it _is_ Friday night after all. Not everyone wants to be stuck in a stuffy old office all week", she tried to make light of the topic.

"Yet, you are here", Connor noted observantly.

"Yeah, but I guess I don't really have a social life, unlike the rest of the department", Lily tried to make a self-deprecating joke, but Conor just stared at her blankly as if he had no idea by what she meant. Shaking her head, she looked away from his warm, intense gaze.

"You'll probably be able to find him at _Jimmy's bar_, it's one of Hank's more frequent spots. It's on 17th street, downtown, you need any help finding it?"

"Thank you, Miss Dover, but I believe my software will allow me to locate the lieutenant perfectly fine on my own", Connor straightened his tie for what must have been the second or third time in that conversation. "Thank you again for your help". As he began to walk away, Lily called back to him.

"Don't you want me to come too? If there's been a case assigned it would explain why no one else is here", she gestured to the nearly empty office. "Besides, Hank _is_ my partner and he can be pretty stubborn even on his _good_ days. Even if the case doesn't need me, I can still accompany Hank"

The android's mechanical brain whirred for a second before he nodded his head.

"I don't think it could hurt to have you join the investigation", he spoke professionally, but his beautiful brown eyes shimmered (if Lily had looked closely) with hidden delight.

"Great", Lily smiled. "Just let me grab my stuff and finish off here, and I'll meet you at Jimmy's in 15 minutes, alright?". Connor nodded politely before turning to the exit, the sooner he could find Lieutenant Anderson, the quicker he could complete his mission.

Although… he couldn't deny the fact that he definitely wanted to get to know Lieutenant Dover more.

"Good luck finding Hank", she called from her desk, waking him up from his thoughts.

Connor stopped. He wanted to say or do something more to show his thanks; the young lieutenant was one of the first few humans he had met who had seemed to genuinely smile at him and speak kindly instead of the usual impatient and degrading tone he had come to expect.

"I very much hope we will work _together_ in the future", he added quietly without facing Lily, before leaving the Detroit City Police Department in search of 'Jimmy's bar' and the Lieutenant Anderson that was hopefully there.

Lily watched as he left. "_For a moment there, the last thing he said… I swore I could've heard… **real** gratitude there_", she was deep in thought. "_I know all androids are meant to be quiet and respectful and stuff, but I haven't ever heard an android ever say something with that much…**sincerity**_"

Shrugging it off, she decided to call Hank before returning to her work; Lily and everyone at the office knew that the guy hated androids fiercely, and she didn't want Connor's presence give him any more grief.

Picking up her smartphone off her desk, she dialled Hank's number, but received no response. Giving up after about 3 tries, she thought she would let Connor handle the situation of talking to drunk Hank.

She only hoped the poor synthetic-human made through the _night_ in one piece.

XXX

Connor approached the building; it's fluorescent neon letters reading "_Jimmy's Bar_" made a pattern of light across the puddles of water on the pavement. He absentmindedly played with the coin he always carried with him, making it spin gracefully on the tip of his index finger as he simultaneously analysed the establishment.

There was a clearly-marked sign on the front door, reading "STRICTLY _NO_ ANDROIDS ALLOWED" in bold text. Connor knew that his mission was more important than any policy, and his current objective was hopefully somewhere inside. Tossing the coin into his trousers' back pocket, he straightened his grey tie and read the time on his internal clock.

"_11:21pm_"

The android pushed open the door and entered the bar, his scans of the room detecting the strong smell of alcohol and cigarettes.

"_Shit_, I thought androids weren't allowed in here", came a murmur from the back of the bar. If he _wasn't_ an android, the remark would've gone unheard over Connor's head. But, unfortunately for him, he was. Analysing the people in the room, Connor's brown eyes searched for the Lieutenant Anderson, finally finding him at the bar with a scotch glass in hand.

Ignoring the glares and other scornful remarks from the irritated-looking patrons at the bar, Connor stood in front of the lieutenant expectantly. The police officer looked about 50 years old, and he was wearing a thick brown jacket that he hadn't taken off despite being inside, like he hadn't even noticed it. The officer paid no attention to Connor, so the RK-800 decided to initiate an introduction.

"Lieutenant Anderson, my name is Connor. I'm the android sent by CyberLife"


	2. Chapter 2: Finding Hank

_11:26pm_

Lily was just about to clock out of the DCPD when she felt the angry *_buzz_* of her phone. Grabbing it out of her pocket, she saw the picture of the caller ID on the screen. It was a photo of herself, Hank and Cole at the young boy's 6th birthday party. It was about 2 weeks before the car wreck, before Hank's life spiralled out of control.

Lily pressed the green "receive call" button, putting the phone up to her ear as she remembered that birthday party. Cole had been a really sweet kid, and Lily had been a sort-of carer for him when Hank and his ex-wife got divorced. She'd helped out whenever she could, like picking Cole up from school and taking him to get ice-cream before driving him to the Police station to see Hank as he finished up work.

Hank had been a completely different person. He was an excellent cop and became the youngest lieutenant in DCPD history; he solved many cases simply with his own talent and made a name for himself in the Detroit newspapers. Hank was very friendly and jokey, a great friend and co-worker, but all that had changed when little Cole had left.

"_Helloooo_?", came the loud, slightly-disoriented voice on the end of the line.

"Hi Hank, what's up?", she asked, logging off her computer.

"_Lily, did you send an android to come pick me up? Goddamn prick's just shown up at the bar and demanded I come with him_!". Lily rolled her eyes, but felt just a tad happy at knowing that despite being most likely drunk and interrupted, Hank didn't seem exceptionally irritable tonight.

"Yeah, there's a homicide case, apparently. Captain Fowler _did_ say we're getting sent a prototype to assist the department, remember?"

"_Well I don't need any assistance! Especially from a plastic asshole like you_", Lily knew Hank was speaking to Connor at this point. She grabbed her bag and turned off her desk light before clocking out of the DCPD building with her holographic work-shift card.

"Just be nice to him, okay? Poor android's only trying to do his job"

"_Actually, they're **our** jobs, and we don't need any goddamn metal pricks taking them from us_", Hank didn't sound bitter, more like he was a little out of it and he just wanted to be left alone.

"Can I at least trust you to leave him in one piece?", she joked.

"_I can't make any promises_", Hank grumbled, but clearly not being serious. Lily hadn't heard him to be this reserved about an android in a long time.

"_Maybe Connor being here is a good thing_?", she thought to herself.

"I'm heading to Jimmy's now, see you in a few minutes"

"_Lily, don't come 'round here, the streets are getting dangerous at night; especially with these fricking murders and deviants popping up everywhere_", Hank warned her over the phone.

"_That is why I have been assigned to this department, Lieutenant. To help with the increasing numbers of android violence_-", she heard Connor speak on the other line.

"_I wasn't talking to **you**, prick. This don't concern you, alright? Go away_", Hank grumbled before turning back to the phone.

"_Seriously, don't worry-_", Hank's voice was suddenly cut off as the phone went silent.

"Hank? You there?", Lily called into her smartphone. No reply came, so she hung up and put the mobile back into her pocket.

Walking out of the police department, she looked up at the rainy skies. It was pouring down hard, so she pulled on her black waterproof hooded-jacket and zipped it up tight, before heading down a streetlamp lit sidewalk towards "_Jimmy's Bar_".

XXX

Connor was having little to no luck with the stubborn detective when he noticed Miss Dover arrive. As soon as she entered the bar, Connor's attention was focussed solely on her, his soft brown eyes analysing her every move.

He saw that a few of the men in the bar turned their attention on her as well, some people winking at her slyly as she went by; but it seemed she either ignored this or didn't notice. The android also realised that she was wearing a casual DCPD jacket, and it made him wonder how long she had been working at the Detroit Police Department.

As Lily came over to the android and lieutenant, a man sitting at the bar turned around and leered at her, letting out a wolf-whistle and jeering, "Lookin' _good_, girl". Connor felt a sudden heat run through him; it made his blue-blood feel like molten, liquid metal and his hands clenched ever so slightly.

Lily however just winked at the cat-caller mischievously as if he was some lifelong friend, grinning and saying, "_Feelin'_ good girl!", much to the shock of the man who was clearly not expecting to have her talk back. Connor found himself smiling internally, finding the scene funny. He unclenched his fists, only just becoming aware and looking at them in confusion.

"_What just happened to me_?"

XXX

Entering the hot and stuffy bar, Lily pulled down her hood, letting the ends of her rain-soaked hair drip water down her shoulders and back. She didn't worry about this though, her jacket would make sure the rain didn't get her clothes wet.

Lily immediately spotted her partner sitting, disgruntled, at the bar with the android who was trying to persuade him to leave. Hank was clearly becoming more and more irritable by the second. As she passed through the bar, she joked with a random trucker who catcalled her, which made the man go red (it might have been because of the booze!) and turn away back to his drink.

"Listen for god's sake, I'm not going anywhere. So just be a _good lil' robot_ and get the fuck outta here, before I crush you like an empty beer can", Hank slammed down his half-empty scotch glass on the wooden bar-top, clearly irritated.

"Careful, Connor. He might go through with that threat if you're not wary", Lily joked, patting Hank on the shoulder.

"When did _you_ get here?", Hank grumbled, although he looked relieved to see her.

"Just a few moments ago", she answered cheerily. "He hasn't been giving you grief, has he?", Lily turned to Connor who was watching her intently. There was something about his eyes that made her feel warm and pleasant and… slightly _nervous_, but she found she couldn't look away.

"Not at all", he said softly. "Unless you count the 12 threats of assault I have received in the last 7 minutes". Lily grinned, although the android seemed unsure of why she was smiling at him.

"Come on, you old grizzly bear", she turned to Hank, trying to get him up from his seat.

"Make the _robot_ go instead! He's the one that's so desperate to stare at a fucking _corpse_ for an hour", Hank complained as Lily did her best to move him. Connor stepped in to help her by putting one of Hank's arms over his shoulders in an effort to hoist the lieutenant to the bar door.

"Get off me, plastic freak", Hank mumbled. Connor didn't let go. The lieutenant finally gave in as Lily and the android managed to push him into the backseat of Hank's police car.

"Give me the keys, Hank", Lily demanded. "I'll drive".

"It's my car, I'm the only one who's allowed to sit at the steering wheel", Hank tried to get back up out of his seat.

"No way in _hell_ is that happening"

Connor stood unsure, wondering of where he would be told to go. Lily nodded to the passenger seat in the front of the car.

"Sit next to me, Connor. It's your best chance not getting puked on by Hank", she laughed. The android found himself internally smiling, although he didn't express this on his face.

*_Software Instability: Corrupted Drive at 2%_*


	3. Chapter 3: The First Investigation

_11:47pm_

The drive to the crime scene was pretty silent, aside from Connor giving the directions to Lily as she drove through the rain.

"So, Connor… have you ever worked with the police before-"

"Put on _Knights of the Black Death_", Hank interrupted as he leaned forward into the front of the car and changed the radio to his eccentric heavy-metal music. Lily decided to say no more (mostly because it was difficult to even hear herself _think_ when loud screaming and electric guitar were the only noises in the car).

By the time Hank's car had reached the crime scene, Lily thought her eardrums had burst. The music seemed to have surprisingly calmed Hank down, because he appeared to be a lot more focussed and aware of things as he stuck his head from the backseat and looked between Connor and Lily.

"You wait here", Hank demanded to the android, poking him slightly in the chest. "We won't be long. Come on, Lily". Hank got out the car and walked around to the driver's seat. Lily gave an apologetic look to Connor as she got out herself.

"Wait, Hank. You're not letting Connor come too? He's here to help us, it's pointless for CyberLife to send us an android if we're never going to let him near any crime scenes". Hank appeared unimpressed. Lily looked back to Connor in the car, as she noticed he had climbed across the entire vehicle to sit in the driver's seat without her even being aware of him next to her.

"_Man, he's like a fricking ninja!_", she thought, stifling a laugh at the thought of Connor as a samurai warrior all in black robes.

"My instructions are to accompany you to the crime scene, Lieutenant", Connor said through the open window. Hank strode over to the android's head that was sticking out the driver's side of the car.

"And you've done your job perfectly, cause we're here now", Hank said sarcastically. "So stay there and wait for us to get back". Connor stared blankly at the lieutenant. "And for god's sake, keep the window shut! I don't want the inside of my car getting soaked!"

"I'm sorry, Lieutenant. But I must insist, my instructions were-", Connor began before being interrupted.

"Listen, I don't give a flying fuck about your _instructions_". Hank pointed to the car seat. "I told you to wait here, so you _shut the fuck up_, and you wait here". Connor sat back in his seat like he was finally giving up on arguing.

Lily felt sorry for the RK-800, but she knew better than to try and deliberately piss Hank off. She leaned down to the window, and said softly so Hank couldn't hear, "I'm sorry, Connor. Just wait 'til we get back". The android stared at her, almost pleadingly, with his big, chocolate brown eyes. She felt her heart melt a little, giving him a look as if to say "_There's not much I can do_".

Turning away from the android, Lily followed Hank as a news-reporter approached him.

"Joss Douglas for Channel 16. Can you confirm that this is a homicide?", the nosy reporter shoved a huge microphone into Hank's face.

"I'm not confirming anything", he grunted before stepping across the holographic police-line. Lily noticed the small crowd of people huddled under umbrellas, clearly neighbours, residents and news-reporters trying to find out why the police was there. Passing through the group of people, the young lieutenant caught small snippets of conversation.

"Typical DPCD, they don't tell us shit!", one reporter said from under her umbrella.

"I didn't even know someone was living here"

"Apparently a deviant is the main suspect this time"

"Not _another_ fucking robot going haywire!? That's the 3rd time this week!"

Lily followed Hank across the police line, giving a friendly nod to the android officer that was stopping people from entering the crime scene. He gave a little polite smile to her, before turning his attention back to his job. Lily felt a bit bad for the android, as he had to stand out in the rain with only his everyday police gear facing a disgruntled mini-mob.

XXX

Connor sat in lieutenant Anderson's police vehicle, his mechanical brain whirring as he thought.

*_Conflicting orders… selecting priorit_y*

The rain outside fell hard on the car, making loud noises as it hit against the metal roof like a drum.

*_Follow Lt. Anderson and Lt. Dover_*

Connor opened the car door, stepping out onto the residential sidewalk. The flashing police lights reflected off the wet road. He spotted Lieutenant Dover as she made her way through a small group of humans in raincoats watching the crime scene. Deciding she would be more lenient towards him accompanying her in the investigation than Hank would be, he followed her towards the glowing yellow police line.

An android police officer stepped in front of Connor, using his arm to block the way ahead to prevent the RK-800 from going any further.

"Androids are not permitted beyond this point", it said, staring at him officially.

"It's alright, he's with us". Connor turned his attention on the lovely, kind voice that was Lt. Dover as she beckoned for him to join her and Hank. The android police officer put its hand down, letting the RK-800 accompany the two humans he was assigned to work with, and enter the crime scene.

"Thank you for allowing me to join you, Miss Dover", Connor spoke gratefully as he approached Lily and Hank. The named lieutenant smiled at him, saying "No problem, Connor", whereas the latter of the two irritably glared at the android.

"What part of '_stay in the car_' did you not understand?", Hank demanded.

"Your order contradicted my instructions, Lieutenant". Lily turned her head, looking between the two who were staring at each other.

"Let him stay, Hank. He's obviously committed to doing this. Who knows? He may even figure something out that we might miss". Hank rolled his eyes in resignation.

"Fine", he crossed his arms stubbornly. "But you don't talk, you don't touch anything and you stay out of our way, got it?"

"Got it", Connor repeated quickly.

Lily walked towards the building, taking in her surroundings. It was an old bungalow with white walls that had clearly yellowed over time and had the paint cracking and flaking off. As she put one of her brown ankle-boots on the rotted wooden porch, the step creaked and groaned under her weight.

"_It's in a pretty suburban area, so the incident is probably a domestic dispute_" she tried to theorize to herself.

Connor watched Lily as she examined the exterior of the house. He thought she must be very committed to her job if she would readily take on such a case on her Friday night, especially out of her own free will when she could simply go home and relax.

He looked up at the dark, rainy night sky. He cared little for the rain, it didn't affect him at all so he'd never had a reason to really acknowledge it before now. Connor looked back at Lt. Dover, he wondered if she might catch a cold from standing in the elements for too long.

*_Software Instability: Corrupted Drive at 3%_*

However, his thoughts were interrupted when Hank and Lily were greeted by another police officer, who Connor found out (by scanning and analysing the man's face) was the Detective Ben Collins.

"Evening, Hank", the chubby, white-haired detective called. "Lily" he nodded to her with a smile, which she returned. "We were starting to think you weren't going to show", Detective Collins turned back to Hank.

"Yeah that was the plan until Lily told this asshole where to find me", he half-joked, gesturing to Connor.

"So…", the Detective turned to stare at Connor, eyeing him up and down. "You got yourself an android, huh?"

"Oh, very funny", Hank groaned, shaking his head, irritated. "Just tell us what happened", he changed topic as he and Lily began to follow the Detective into the house. Connor joined them as he trailed after Lily, not wanting to be left behind.

"We had a call around 8pm from the landlord. The tenant hadn't paid his rent for a few months, so he thought he'd drop by, see what was going on", Collins explained. "That's when he found the body".

XXX

Lily gagged as soon as she had entered the house.

"God, that _smell_!", she exclaimed, pulling the front of her police jacket over her nose in an effort to block out the horrible stench.

"It was even _worse_ before we opened the windows", Detective Collins said with a grim expression. Hank went over, kneeling down in front of the rotting corpse of what appeared to be an overweight, middle-aged dark-haired man.

"Who is he?", Hank asked, pinching his nose.

"The victim's name is Carlos Ortiz, he has a record for theft and aggravated assault", Collins informed the trio.

Connor scanned around the bungalow, it was in a state of disrepair with litter lining the floor, pieces of broken furniture scattered about, plus beer bottles, soda cans and takeaway boxes were balanced on every available surface. He could hardly believe some humans lived in such a state, although the home appeared it belonged to someone who had just been incredibly untidy instead of someone who had been struggling with poverty.

The corpse that lay on the floor, black eyes half-open, pasty skin peeling off, looked horrendous. The body's pallor was white as a sheet, the wretched odour of foul decay seeped from the rotting dead man. There were far more than four dozen knife wounds that had pierced the victim through the wobbly flesh of his gut. Carlos Ortiz's horrifying, glazed-over eyes followed each person around the room as if even in death - even when _dead_ and slumped on the floor of his own house - he was still an unsettling, unnerving figure.

"According to the neighbours, he was kind of a loner. He stayed inside most of the time, no one hardly ever saw him. He did get a lot of unusual visitors though, shady looking people"

"Well… state he's in, probably wasn't worth calling everybody out in the middle of the night. Could've waited until morning", Hank said dismissively. Lily watched as Connor bent down, examining a knife on the floor that had bloodstains on the blade. After a scan he was able to identify that there were no fingerprints, and that the blood belonged to Carlos Ortiz.

"How long has he been there?", Lily called to Detective Collins, who had gone as white as the corpse that laid in the middle of the room.

"I'd say about a good three weeks, but we'll know more once the coroner gets here", he explained. "There's a kitchen knife over there, probably the murder weapon".

"Any sign of a break-in?", Hank questioned as he stood up from staring at the body.

"Nope. The landlord said the front door was locked up from the inside, and all the windows were boarded up. The killer must've gone out the back way", Collins coughed, trying to not be sick from the terrible smell.

"What do we know about his android?"

"Not much", Collins' eyes flickered over to Connor who was still looking at the knife on the ground. "The neighbours confirmed he had one, but it wasn't here when we arrived".

"I-I gotta get some air", Collins coughed, holding his handkerchief over his mouth and nose, muffling his voice slightly. "Make yourselves at home, I'll be outside if you need me"

"Thanks, Detective", Lily called after him gratefully, lightly brushing her hand over a desk. She examined a few leaflets scattered on the dusty surface; one of them was bright purple and read, "_Eden Club - Come join us_".

Lily felt a little bit sick, and not from the disgusting stench of decay that the dead body reeked and flooded the whole house with. She had walked past _Eden Club_ a few times (as Lily luckily lived in one of the more prosperous districts in downtown Detroit) but _never_ had gone in. Even if she didn't know much about androids or how they worked, she still saw them as equals and thought it was really horrid and de-humanising to force them to work as prostitutes.

Backing away from the desk, but making sure not to step on anything, Lily stared at the TV, noticing a little clear plastic bag (among the rubbish around the electronic-set) that was overflowing with what looked like red crystals.

"Connor", she turned to the android that was examining an overturned chair. He looked up at her, giving Lily his full attention. She felt a little hesitant to disturb him when she knew he was probably in the middle of something, but as Connor immediately turned towards her, his gaze intense, she felt like he hopefully would be happy to help out.

"Can you come here and scan this, please?", she beckoned for him to come near.

"Find something?", Hank asked, looking over.

"I think so", she replied as Connor came and knelt down next to her. Pointing to the blood-red crystals, she asked, "What are these? Can you find out from analysing it?".

Connor nodded his head, and Lily watched as she saw his LED light briefly flicker between yellow and blue, before he said "Acetone, Lithium, Thirium, Toluene and Hydrochloric acid. Also commonly known as-"

"Red Ice", Lily and Connor said at the same time. She smiled at him. "Wow, you're programming must be pretty advanced if you can analyse something just by looking at it". Realizing that it was a compliment, Connor felt his face heat up a little at her words.

"Thank you, Lieutenant Dover", he said genuinely, looking deeply into her eyes. Lily felt butterflies fluttering in her stomach for a moment, before correcting Connor.

"Just call me Lily, please, Connor", she tried her hardest not to blush. "If we're going to be working together, I'd like us to be able to talk to each other informally". She paused. "Anyway, I already call you by your first name"

"I suppose", he thought for a moment. "But that's because I don't have a second name"

"I guess you're right", she grinned softly. Looking over his face, she could have sworn Connor was smiling at her. Even though his lips and mouth hadn't moved, his eyes were so full of light and warmth that it looked like he was smiling with his gaze alone.

"_Maybe he doesn't know how to smile_?", she thought to herself as she could feel her blush creep her cheeks slightly.

Due to their close proximity, Connor could pick up the smell of strawberries and vanilla; Lily's perfume. He was so near her, that one move in her direction would lead to him having physical contact. It made his heart jump a little bit.

*_Software Instability: Corrupted Drive at 5%_*

"_Why is he looking at me so intently_?", Lily wondered. As she suddenly noticed how close she was to the android, she noticed her heart starting to beat faster.

"So, the victim did drugs, right?", Hank's voice suddenly broke the moment between Lily and Connor.

"Correct", Connor said in his professional tone. Lily brushed her hair out of her face, blushing more after the moment.

"Seems our friend Carlos liked to party", Hank added.

Getting up off the ground, Connor's eyes wandered to a small pool of blood on the floor. He moved closer to the evidence. Lily watched feeling both grossed out and fascinated at the same time as Connor dipped two of his fingers in the blood, before lifting them to his lips and smearing the thick, red liquid onto his tongue.

Lily felt a chill going down her spine. It was weird, gross and a little creepy what Connor had just done; but there was also something else about his action that made her shiver in… a _good_ way. It was almost slightly seductive about the android when he so carefully licked his fingers…

"Ew, _Jesus_! What the _hell_ you doing!?", Hank gagged when he saw that the android was licking the evidence. Hank's angry voice woke Lily up from her embarrassing thoughts and made her return her attention back on her two partners.

"What the actual _fuck_, Connor? That's _disgusting_!", Hank shouted at the android.

"I'm analysing the blood", Connor said nonchalantly like it was the most normal thing in the world. He pointed at the pool of red liquid, "I can check samples in real time".

"I'm sorry, I should've warned you beforehand", Connor added when he noticed that Hank had turned a pale shade of green. Lily laughed at the look on her partner's face.

"Having trouble keeping down your whiskey, Hank?", she teased. Hank gave a sour look in her direction, before addressing Connor again.

"Ok then… just…don't…", Hank was unsure on what to say. He glanced at Lily who was biting her lip, trying to contain her laughter. "Just don't put any more evidence in your mouth, you got it?", he gestured to the android, as if he was talking to a child.

"Got it", Connor blinked in agreement.

"_Fucking hell_, I can't believe this shit", Hank grumbled to himself. Connor looked at Lily as Hank walked away; seeing she was close to bursting into a fit of giggles, he questionably gazed at her.

"Excuse me, Miss Dover-"

"Lily", she corrected automatically. Connor swallowed nervously.

"_Lily_", he repeated. If he wasn't an android he would've sworn that he felt himself blush deeply! "Excuse me, _Lily_, but what is it that has provoked such a reaction from you?"

"I've never seen anyone annoy Hank like that before", she grinned at him. The android gazed at her smiling, joyful face; he had never ever seen a human smile at him before Lily had, but he found himself to like it very much.

"Still, I think it would be best that you don't lick anything else while we're here; at least, not in front of Hank", Lily winked playfully at him, before returning back to work. Connor felt his metallic heart pump fast, the inside of his body feeling unusually warm.

*_Software Instability: Corrupted Drive at 7%_*

He suddenly became aware that one of the humans who was collecting forensic evidence was staring at him, but not in a friendly way. Connor quickly straightened his tie and walked to the next room after he had realised that the entire room of DCPD officers were glaring at him. The android found himself in the bungalow's kitchen, and after examining the knife rack and managing to link where the murder weapon had come from, Connor heard voices coming from the back door of the house.

XXX

"So, you think our guy came out this way?", Hank asked, folding his arms as he examined the backyard.

"Yeah, it's most likely. All the windows were boarded up, all the doors were locked, unless the deviant obtained ghostly abilities like walking through walls, I'd say they would've left here", Lily explained.

"Well, I gotta say I agree", Hank shrugged. "Apart from the weird shit about the '_ghostly abilities'_, it's the only probably way".

"Excuse me, Lieutenants". The pair turned at the polite, soft voice as Connor came out from the house and stood on the porch with them, addressing them both.

"What is it Connor?", Hank asked tiredly.

"With all due respect", Connor looked directly at Lily, making her blush a little. "I have reason to believe that your theory is wrong"

"Oh, what makes you say that?", Hank leaned against the porch wall.

"There are no footprints in the mud, aside from Officer Collins' size 10 shoes", Connor pointed to the ground, and lo behold, there was only one trail of footprints leading away from the house, except they were only about an hour or so old.

"Well this did happen weeks ago", Hank theorised.

"Yeah", Lily chimed in. "The tracks could've faded, especially with all the recent rain"

"Not with this particular type of soil, if so, it would've retained a trace", the android explained. Lily and Hank looked at each other. "I don't think anyone's been out here for a long time"

"See?", Lily teased, nudging Hank with her elbow. "I told you letting Connor come with us would be a good idea. If we didn't have him, we would've gotten the facts of this case completely wrong". Lily leaned forward and patted Connor on the shoulder, an action that made him gaze at her intently as she smiled at him, before turning back to Hank.

"Well, I suppose there is still the possibility that if the android did get _ghost_ _powers_ or whatever, it probably would be able to levitate, and it could leave without any trace of footprints, but obviously ghosts aren't real", Hank rolled his eyes at Lily, who giggled as they returned inside the house.

In Lily's wake, Connor's nasal sensors could detect her scent as it hung in the air. It was so sweet and so good, it even managed to slightly mask the smell of decomposition. Following her and Hank, the android joined the rest of the DCPD in the crime scene; although for once his mind wasn't on the task at hand.

*_Software Instability: Corrupted Drive at 11%_*


	4. Chapter 4: Catching a victim

_12:16am Saturday 6th November_

Lily stood in the middle of the crime scene, her head buzzing with all the new information from the investigation.

"Ok, let's go through it one more time", Hank said to Lily and the other detectives who were all stood in a circle, trying to figure out what had happened. Connor stood behind them, out of the way.

"We still don't know how the killer escaped, so let's go through everything again". A few groans emerged from the team, as Hank glared at them. "Look, _I_ don't want to be here in this creepy dump on my Friday night, having to examine every fucking detail, but we've gotta at least come up with _something_ for the report".

Hank turned to Lily. "What's the first thing that happened?". The young lieutenant explained what the likely chronological turn of events was.

"It all started with a struggle, hence the mess in the kitchen. It likely began due to the effects of red ice on the victim, as Connor found traces under his nose", Lily nodded at the android, who looked back at her with fascination. "We already know the effects of red ice, it makes the user violent and unpredictable. I think the victim, Carlos, attacked his android with the bludgeoned metal bat".

"It definitely lines up with the evidence", Hank confirmed. "Well done", he smiled at Lily, feeling proud of her that she was becoming a great detective with the cases.

"What's next?". One of the officers in the investigation stepped forward. "Go on, let's get this over with as soon as possible", Hank urged.

"The android was being attacked, this was when it experienced its emotional shock, and it began to disobey it's programming", he explained. "The android slashed at the victim with the kitchen knife from the wall-rack, trying to get the oncoming attacker to leave it alone"

"So the android was trying to defend itself, right?", Hank questioned. The officer nodded. "Okay, then what happened?". A member of the forensics team spoke up.

"From what we can tell by the traces of the victim's blood on the kitchen chair and the broken wood that juts out from the doorway, the victim fled to the living room".

"And he tried to get away from the android", Hank nodded. "Alright, that makes sense. What came after?"

"It was there in the living room, that the android murdered the victim with the knife". Connor spoke up from behind the circle, making every police member turn and look at him with either irritation or fascination.

"The android began to stab the victim, Ortiz, and by becoming overwhelmed by the emotional shock it had previously experienced, it lost all control until it had stabbed the victim 28 times", Connor explained. He noticed Lily watching him with curiosity, and the two locked eyes for a moment before both looked away simultaneously.

"It then proceeded to write on the wall the message 'I AM ALIVE', which leads me to speculate that the owner had treated the android badly over time, causing the emotional trigger to release strong feelings of resentment and anger"

"Wait wait wait-" one of the detectives interrupted. "How can we be sure that it was the _deviant_ who wrote the message?"

"One piece of evidence, is that the writing is in _CyberLife Sans_. This is the only font that androids know in their programming", Connor said professionally as he faced the detective. "Secondly, if the deviant _was_ in fact experiencing abuse from the victim, then it would make sense for it to write a kind of personal, revengeful statement after committing the murder"

"What about the shrine in the bathroom shower?"

"Yeah, and the demented scrawls all over the wall?"

"Ok, the theory isn't totally ridiculous", Hank said, hushing the group before standing in front of the android. "But it doesn't tell us where the deviant went". Connor thought, his LED light turning yellow as he processed everything.

"It was damaged by the bat, and it lost some Thirium"

"Lost some…_what_?", Hank questioned.

"_Thirium_", Connor repeated. "You humans like to call it 'blue blood'. It's the fluid that powers androids' bio-components", he explained to the group of DCPD officers who were all looking at each other; some feeling intimidated by the RK-800's knowledge, while others hadn't understood much of what Connor had said.

"Yes, but doesn't it evaporate after a few hours and become invisible?", the forensics officer from earlier spoke up.

"Correct"

"But I bet you can still see it with your scanner-thingy, can't you?", Hank grinned.

"Correct", the android repeated again.

Connor looked around the room, analysing for Thirium traces. The police force watched as the android made his way to the kitchen before bending down and examining something in the doorway.

"Find something?", Lily asked, walking up to stand next to the Connor. He looked up at her, and nodded. The police followed the android as he quickly followed an invisible trail, which led him to stand just outside the bathroom. He briefly touched the wall in the corridor.

"What is it?", Lily asked confused at why the bare wall would be important.

"A ladder used to be here", Connor explained. "But it's moved".

"Why would the deviant want a ladder?", one of the detectives grumbled. Connor looked up, following the spattered trail of blue blood. He saw a small, closed trap-door in the ceiling; it had a thirium handprint by the handle.

"I think I've found where the deviant went, Lieutenants", Connor turned to face Hank and Lily. "The thirium trail leads to the attic"

"Oh Jesus, that's fucking perfect. How the _hell_ are we going to get up there?", Hank grumbled. Connor turned to walk back down the hall. "Hey, HEY! Where the hell are you going?", Hank called after him. Seconds later, Connor returned with one of the kitchen chairs.

"I better be the one to take a look, just to be safe", he said as he positioned the chair under the trap door and climbed up. Connor tried to reach out to grab the trap-door, but it was too far out of reach. "Can anyone give me a boost?", he questioned the police squad.

"Hank's the burliest", Detective Collins said, grinning.

"_Woah woah woah_, wait a second", Hank put his hands up in defence. "I know I might be the strongest here but I'll fucking _keel over_ if I try to carry Connor. He's an _android_! He's made of metal and shit! I can't carry all of _that_!", he exclaimed, gesturing to Connor's plastic, robot body.

"I think that's just you finally playing the old guy excuse", Lily joked. Hank glared at her.

"I never said I was _old_", he crossed his arms stubbornly. Connor examined the trap-door.

"It's quite narrow, I'm not sure you would fit through it anyway, Lieutenant", Connor observed.

"Wait, so first I'm getting called _old_, next thing I'm being called _fat_!?", Hank glared, glancing between Lily and Connor.

"Don't take it personally, gramps", Lily nudged him teasingly. Hank just rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, so if you can't reach it", he turned to speak to Connor. "And if I can't fit… who's going to go up there?"

"We'll need someone who is small and light", Connor explained. It wasn't even a few seconds after speaking did the android realise who was going to have to investigate the attic. He watched as all eyes turned to face the smallest, youngest, and also the only girl at the crime scene.

Lily sighed, knowing what she had to do.

"Sure thing, I'll check it out"

XXX

"No, NO. Absolutely _not_!", Hank didn't even hesitate in disagreeing.

"I'm just checking out the top floor, I'm not volunteering as a tribute for the Hunger Games or something", Lily rolled her eyes at his overprotectiveness.

"I don't care, we'll just wait for a bigger ladder or something and get Connor to investigate", Hank dismissed her words. He refused to back down.

"Good grief, it would take ages for someone to bring all that equipment down from the station!"

"Excuse me, Hank. But my scans indicate I won't fit through the hatch", the android explained.

"See? Connor won't make it through anyway", she argued.

"You're _not_ going up there, that's _final_. And as your partner I fucking _forbid_ it!", Hank yelled.

"I don't need your _permission_, Hank! Only the Captain has the _authority_ to tell me what to do", Lily shot back. She didn't like getting in arguments with anyone, least of all Hank (especially not in front of half the DCPD department!); but this time, she wasn't going to let her partner's stubborn nature interfere with an investigation that they were so close to cracking.

"There is no way-"

"I have to agree with Lieutenant Anderson", Connor said softly.

"For _god's sake_, stop interrupting me-", Hank turned on Connor, before his eyes widened at the android's words. "Wait… _what_?"

"I agree with you", he nodded to Hank in an understanding manner. "It's likely that the deviant is still in the attic. It could very well be unpredictable and dangerous, and it isn't worth risking your life when a smaller android could be sent", Connor explained. Lily was shocked for a moment, feeling a little bit upset that he was siding against her, but the emotion soon subsided and it was replaced with the determination to prove that she could and _would_ do her job.

"It's not fair making an android go instead", she argued. "Besides, if all this really happened over 3 weeks ago, then the deviant's probably long gone by now"

"But you can't be sure-", Hank implored.

"Can't you even let me look around!? I'll just check it out and if I see anything weird, I'll call for help, I swear", she promised. Hank looked unmoved.

"Just let me do my job, _please_?", Lily gave Hank puppy-dog eyes, something that had almost _always_ worked before. She didn't like having to ask others just to get something done, but Lily knew, from examining the hatch in the ceiling, that there was no way she could ever climb up there without the assistance of either Connor or Hank.

The grizzled lieutenant looked up at the attic door and back again to his partner's pleading face. He rolled his eyes so hard Lily could've sworn she saw them swivel backwards 360 degrees.

"Fine", he eventually relented. "But you've gotta make sure you'll call at the first sign of anything weird or dangerous".

"We're the city's police force, Hank", Lily grinned at him, trying to make up for their argument. "_Danger_ is meant to be our middle names".

"I can't even comprehend how you still make jokes at times like this", Hank stared at her incredulously. He nodded at Connor. "Make yourself useful Connor, give her a boost".

XXX

The android felt torn. He couldn't go against a direct order by the humans he was working with, yet the last thing he wanted was to put Lily's life in danger. Connor tried to use his scanner to analyse the situation, but he found that it was almost impossible to get a result, because it completely depended on whether or not the deviant was actually still at the crime scene amongst many other factors.

*_Chance of deviant presence: 53%_*

He knew that the odds could be better, but his programming told him that he couldn't disobey Hank's clear instructions. Reluctantly, Connor watched as Lily climbed on the chair. He stood in front of her, holding out his hands and locking his fingers together to make a foothold for her.

He himself had no need for standing on the chair, he was much, much taller than Lily in the first place, but as he helped hoist her up, he felt small…insignificant. It was like his opinion didn't matter, because he _couldn't_ disobey.

_*Software Instability: Corrupted Drive at 15%_*

XXX

As Lily jumped up quickly on the chair, she felt her face flush a little as she leaned her hand on the android's shoulders. He placed his hands, locking them into a foothold in front of her, making a place she could step up on. It was at that moment as Connor stood in front of her, did she come to comprehend just how… _fit_ he was.

The RK-800 was pretty tall, she had acknowledged that one detail when they first met earlier in the evening, but what she _hadn't_ noticed was how strong his arms were, that his shoulders were broad and masculine, and he was not only taller than most of her co-workers at the DCPD, but tall enough to a point that he was actually the same height as Hank (who had been known to be a big guy- _especially_ back in his day).

There was also something about Connor; he had this air of mystery and formality. He looked a little intimidating to some, with his height and build, but from looking just once at his face, more specifically his eyes, it was easy to see that Connor didn't look like he could hurt anyone. His innocent, warm chocolate-brown eyes looked curiously at everything around him; it was almost in a child-like manner, and impossible to not adore.

"_He's like a lamb in a wolf's clothing_", was all she could think as the android pushed her up so her head could see into the house's attic. It was dark, and dusty. The air smelt thick with it, as great clouds of dust flew up into the air while Lily climbed up and disturbed the stillness of the attic.

"Lily", a soft voice from behind her called her name. Connor's head was just barely visible through the hatch, and the lieutenant could see he was standing on the wooden kitchen chair so he could see and communicate with her (even if he couldn't quite reach the tall trapdoor).

"Yes Connor?", she blushed slightly as she whispered down to him through the small hole in the floor.

"Hank wanted you to have this", Connor held up a battery-powered torch as high as he could towards her. Lily slowly kneeled down to the attic floor, careful of where she stepped so as to not break any floorboards. She didn't know how old the house was, but the thin ground between her and the rest of the building didn't look particularly reliable.

"Thank you, Connor", she smiled at him in gratitude as she reached for the flashlight. Ever so slightly, their finger's brushed when the android passed the light to the lieutenant. Lily could feel her face heating up despite the chilly attic.

"Lily", Connor said to her again. He leaned forward as close as he could to her, before speaking quietly, making sure that the police squad in the house below couldn't hear him. "_Be careful_", he whispered, his intense stare following her.

Lily thought she would _melt_ under his gorgeous, trusting gaze.

"I will", she reassured him as the android climbed back down, lost from sight. Turning to examine her surroundings, Lily turned on the torch.

Guiding the beam of light, she stood up and began to explore the place. The rain beating on the roof was the only sound that disturbed the thick silence that hung in the air, as she was careful not to let her footsteps release any noise.

"_SHIT_!", she yelled as the floorboard she had been standing on give way, letting out a loud, splintering crack. Grabbing onto an old umbrella stand, the lieutenant managed to quickly pull herself away from the danger; stopping her from falling through the floor.

"_Lily_!? You alright?", Hank's concerned voice yelled up at her.

"I'm okay, the ground's just a bit shaky up here", she called down after re-gaining her composure.

"Oh thank god", she could hear Hank's relief. "What the hell are you doing up there? You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"I just accidently stepped on a weak point and the floor broke, I'm fine though, seriously", she felt bad for frightening Hank.

"Well, have you found anything yet?"

"Not yet… this place looks pretty big", she shone her torch through the attic, peering into every crack and crevasse. "It might take me a while to search through it all"

"Gimme five minutes", Lily said. "I probably won't be able to hear you when I'm at the far end, but I'll shout if I need any help"

XXX

Hank anxiously paced around the hallway. He was restless, wondering if his partner was walking into some kind of death trap. His distrust of androids left him reluctant to know anything about them, including deviants for that matter, so he had very little knowledge about why or how androids went rogue.

The group of police investigators began to disperse, becoming bored with standing around as one by one they walked off to examine other details around the crime scene, until only Hank and Connor were left.

Connor wasn't feeling much better than the lieutenant. It was unusual for him to be experiencing anything like this, but he felt inclined to _do_ something, instead of just standing around as Hank paced back and forth irritably.

"I'm sure she's capable of investigating on her own, Lieutenant", he tried to reassure the grizzled DCPD officer.

"Of course, she's capable! She's a damn good detective", Hank snapped at the android. "I can't help but worry about her though", he mumbled quietly.

A loud creak, followed by the sound of splintering wood and a scream jerked both of them to attention. Connor could feel his heart jump at the sound of Lieutenant Dover's frightened shout.

"_Lily_!?", Hank yelled, trying to shout through the trapdoor. "You alright?". Receiving no answer at first, Hank tried to get up on the chair and stick his head through to see what was going on, although the hole to the attic was too high up for him to reach.

"I'm okay", came her distant response. Relief flooded through Connor, and from the chair he could see Hank breathing out his own sigh of reassurance. As Hank began to get details out of Lily, Connor felt his heart-rate go back to normal. He looked at his hands in concern and confusion.

"_Why am I reacting this way_?", was the only thought that went through his head as he noticed something appear on his monitor.

_*Software Instability: Corrupted Drive at 19%_*

XXX

After nearly falling through the floor, Lily was certain that if there was a deviant up here, it would definitely be aware of her presence by now. Creeping slowly through the attic, she noticed that there were a few holes in the rotted wooden roof, leaking water that dripped silently into the dingey chamber. A few moth-eaten, white sheets that appeared to have never seen the light of day hung about the loft like silent spectres, and she carefully ducked under one making sure to brush off the dust from her hoodie and jeans.

Pointing the torch at the top of the ceiling, a dozen tiny beams of light reflected off the raindrops that clung to cobwebs. She shuddered at the thought of how many spiders were up here with her. Lightning flashed through the cracks in the roof, making the old bits of furniture under sheets cast eerie shadows on the walls and floor.

One shadow made her heart momentarily shiver. Illuminated by the lightning, a figure's silhouette was visible from behind one of the dirty sheets that hung from the rafters. Silently stepping closer, Lily could feel the rushing sound of her own blood pounding through her ears as she reached out to the sheet. Closing her eyes and counting to five in a desperate attempt to calm herself down, the DCPD lieutenant steadied herself before quickly pulling away the sheet.

A gasp was emitted from her lips, as Lily stared upon the face of… a mannequin.

"_Holy shit! Why the hell would someone have a fricking dummy in their attic_!?", she thought, examining the wax model's face. It had bullet holes through its arms and torso, with a target painted on the front. "_This was probably once used for practising shooting… Carlos Ortiz must've been kinda weird if he kept this in his house_".

Lily was about to turn her back on the disturbing object… when something caught her eye suddenly. The faint logo of the Detroit Police was visible under the target on the mannequin's torso. The lieutenant reached out and rubbed off some of the dust around the logo; the whole mannequin was practically _caked_ in grime! She could feel her blood run cold, as she compared the logo on the dummy to the one on her own hoodie.

"_This came from the DPCD! How did he get a hold of it_?", Lily wondered internally as she hesitantly rubbed the dirt off her hands with one of the discarded sheets.

Reluctantly reaching out and looking over the other side of the mannequin, she saw that the date it had been manufactured was imprinted on one plastic side: 2018. "_This is 20 years old, but why the heck would he keep it up here? As far as we know, Ortiz wasn't keeping firearms_".

Feeling very unsettled by the disturbing discovery, Lily went onwards; having to duck under hanging rafters. The house was in serious disrepair. Eventually, she found the back wall of the attic, touching the rotted wood carefully to make sure it was definitely the end of the room. It seemed she had covered the whole extent of the dark chamber.

"_Wherever the deviant is, it's not here now_", she shrugged to herself. Making her way back to the hatch, Lily was only about halfway across the room when a small squeak came from nearby. Locating where the sound had come from, she noticed a tall wardrobe that was on the other end of the attic. Just to be safe, she pulled out her gun from it's holster which hung on her hip.

Taking off the pistol's safety, she switched off her torch as she advanced near the wardrobe. There didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary about it, until she looked at the floor. Sure enough, leading from the hatch to the tall cupboard, there was a small trail where the dust on the attic floor had been disturbed. It wasn't really footprints (although she was able to identify a few amongst the tracks) but more like scrape marks where something had been dragged.

Cautiously and readying for an attack, Lily advanced towards the wardrobe. As her fingers lightly touched its wooden frame, the doors suddenly flew open and something fell out and onto the floor.

The lieutenant jumped back in sudden shock, watching as a male android scrambled about on the ground.

_She had found the deviant_

It stared at her with huge, terrified eyes, as it crawled backwards until its back touched the wall. Lily examined it in wonder as it sat in the dark corner, but she didn't want to shine her torch on it as she feared she may frighten or provoke the robot.

The android didn't look particularly tall, average height, and it was wearing a black and white CyberLife uniform (which she guessed was the standard wear for housekeeper/cleaner androids). One thing that was obvious to notice, was that it's clothes were torn, dirty, and splattered with dried _blood_.

She observed that it's forearms were beaten badly, with its white plastic panelling exposed, showing off the blue wires that were sending out small electric sparks every few seconds. The android's LED was bright red, clearly due to it's fear from being discovered. Lily saw that across it's face and arms, there were cigarette burns.

Her heart melted at the sight of the poor android shivering in front of her, he was clearly abused by his owner, and she momentarily forgot that it had committed murder, as it seemed so harmless, just cowering in fear before her.

"Shhh… I'm not going to hurt you", she kneeled down in front of the android. He looked at her, then to the gun, trembling as he did so. She carefully put both her pistol and the torch down on the ground, before sliding them away out of reach.

"See? I only want to talk, to find out what happened to you", the android relaxed as soon as the gun was out of her hand, and the LED changed from red to yellow. "I'm Lily, I'm with the DCPD. I _just_ want to talk". Lily knew that the deviant could very well be dangerous, but she found herself trusting her instincts; the poor thing looked harmless (despite the blood stains on its face on body).

"I'm…Thomas", he said so very quietly that she almost didn't hear.

"Hello Thomas, will you let me help you?", she smiled reassuringly as she held out her hand. The deviant looked up at her, and Lily almost could see tears in his eyes, as he cautiously took her hand and she helped him stand up.

"What happened?", she asked calmly.

"I…. I was just defending myself. He was going to _kill_ me", Thomas began to cry, although it was something she knew androids were not programmed to do. She gave him a very soft pat on the back, trying not to startle him. She was shocked herself at seeing _actual tears_ come from his eyes, were androids meant to do that?

"Lily, you all right up there?", Hank's voice called. Thomas instantly shuddered, his eyes wild.

"Please, I'm begging you… don't tell them about me!", he began to back away from the hatch. Her mind flipped over all the possibilities.

"_I have to tell them that he's up here, I'll get fired or **worse**, put in jail if I lied about this. But I won't drag him downstairs. I'll see if I can calm him down first, before I do anything_".

"Lily? What's going on up there?", Hank called again. She looked at the traumatised android, knowing what she must do.

"Everything's fine, Hank! Just give me a few more minutes"

XXX

"Lieutenant Anderson", Connor addressed Hank directly.

"What?", he asked. Hank was beginning to become bored by the second.

"How long is 'a few minutes'?".

"About two or three I guess", he stared up at the attic door.

"It has been over five minutes and Miss Dover has not returned", Connor folded his arms in a similar stubborn manner to Hank.

"Yeah, what's that kid doing up there? Place can't be _that_ big", Hank marched over to the chair. "Knowing her, she probably found a stack of old CD's or something and she wanted to look at them".

"I can go look for her, Lieutenant", Connor suggested.

"I thought you said you couldn't fit?", Hank eyeballed the android.

"My height allows me to at least be able to reach the trapdoor, but I can't look over the top or see inside… I'll need your help", Connor's synthetic hand pointed to the ceiling.

"What _kind_ of help?", Hank groaned.

XXX

"Connor, this _wasn't_ what I was thinking of when you said you needed some help!", Hank snapped at the android who was now balancing on the Lieutenant's shoulders. "If I break my fucking _back_ because of this, I'm going to _sue_ your stupid creators at CyberLife!"

"I will be sure to make your displeasure known", Connor said with a little wit, as he grabbed either side of the trapdoor. As he did so, a little bit of the ceiling crumbled, making dust fall on them both.

"Connor what the hell you playing at!?", Hank tried to shake some of the dust and plaster that now had landed in his grey hair. As the android tried to climb up further, he leaned his leg on Hank's head, letting out an angry shout from the man.

"Get your fucking foot out of my face!"

"Sorry lieutenant", the android replied coolly, but with a clearly amused expression. Connor scanned the hatch; due to the attic floor breaking, he now had enough space to just about squeeze himself through the gap. Hauling himself up, the android was just able to get the top half of his body into the chilly chamber.

He first noticed how dusty it was, and that it was pretty dark. But as his eyes very quickly adjusted to the levels of light, he realised a very clear scene. Lieutenant Dover was standing next to... the _deviant_. Lily had her hand on its shoulder, and she seemed to be… _comforting_ it. As soon as Connor had entered the room, Lily's gaze caught him.

The android followed her stare, as it saw Connor as well. Lily turned to it, trying to reassure the deviant that was quickly backing away from the RK-800.

"It's alright Thomas".

"_Thomas? Did she ask for its name_?", Connor thought.

"Connor, hurry up and get your fucking foot out of my face already!", Hank roared up at him. The shout clearly only made the deviant worse, as it dropped to the floor and started to shake. Following his protocol, Connor addressed the human in the house underneath him.

"Connor wait, let me handle this-", Lily tried to explain.

"It's _here_, Lieutenant!", he informed Hank.

"What?", Hank gave a dumbfounded reply. A slightly muffled "Holy _shit_..." came from under Connor's shoe. "Chris, Ben! Get your asses in here now".

The RK-800 met with Lily's gaze; she was staring at him incredulously, with a sad expression, as the deviant next to her could only look up at Connor, its eyes full of betrayal.

_*Software Instability: Corrupted Drive at 22%*_


	5. Chapter 5: The Interrogation

_12:39am_

The last hour had been a blur for Lily as she sat in the kitchen of the bungalow. They were still at the crime scene, and her anxious mind was still trying to process all that had happened. A brief touch on her arm let her know that Hank wanted her attention.

"You sure it didn't hurt you in any way?", he asked the same question as earlier in the evening, as he took the seat at the other end of the small kitchen table.

"I'm fine, Hank", she said, looking out of the window to see the heavy rain falling.

Despite her best efforts, Lily had been powerless as Connor had briskly pulled the deviant, Thomas, from where he stood and forced him through the attic's hatch, where DCPD officers had searched and then handcuffed the android. Thomas was then marched through the crime scene, and Lily had noticed how the poor guy had trembled in regret and fright as he saw the fly-ridden corpse of his dead owner.

He was currently stuck inside one of the police cars, as the rest of the DCPD there began to clear up the crime scene. Lily had been out of it all, she hadn't even batted an eye as Connor had practically carried her down and became increasingly concerned when she didn't respond to his questions. She had been given to Hank, who himself was worried she had been traumatised by whatever was up there, although he knew that it would be eventually be added to the report.

Lily wasn't traumatised, she knew that much. She wasn't frightened, just _sad_. She had seen how unstable and petrified Thomas was, and it made her worry for his well-being; the cops in Detroit, like every other city, didn't treat androids well in the slightest.

"Are you alright?", Hank clicked his fingers in front of her face as she regained focus of her surroundings. "I'm a little worried about you, kid. Sure you're up for taking the deviant down the station?".

"Absolutely", she immediately decided. If she accompanied the police force as they took Thomas to the holding cell, she might be able to convince Captain Fowler of the deviant's case. Besides, she _had_ been a part of previous investigations that involved arresting and detaining people before, except it had never been an android like this, and the suspect had never been a likely victim of abuse…

"Alright then", Hank eyed his partner, curiously. He always wondered what went on in her head. Connor came into the kitchen, telling the two of them that the DCPD was starting to return to the station. Connor looked straight at Lily as he spoke, but she didn't meet his eye.

He knew she was upset with him, he could tell by her obvious refusal to communicate. Feeling there was little he could do to re-gain her trust, the android turned to follow Hank who had already left the kitchen and was talking to Detective Collins.

"Connor"

At the mention of his name, the RK-800 turned to face Lily who was finally acknowledging him.

"Yes, Lieutenant? Can I help you?", he asked in earnest.

"Why did you reveal that we found the Deviant?", she turned around to face him, but still wouldn't look him in the eye. The android's LED flickered yellow.

"It was my mission to locate the main suspect, Lieutenant. I only carried out the protocol my programming requires me to complete", he said as she looked up to reach his eyes.

"But I told you I had it under control", she insisted. Connor looked sheepishly at the ground.

"I am sorry I disobeyed your instructions, Lieutenant. I thought that simply finding the deviant was accomplishing the mission, so my analysation of the situation decided there wasn't any point in waiting any longer in arresting the suspect". He tilted his head to the side.

"Are you angry with me?"

Lily looked at Connor, his eyes only showed honesty, and anyway, there was pretty much no reason for him to lie to her. He was working with the DCPD for the whole purpose in assisting their investigations with specifically deviant-related cases.

"No, Connor… I'm not angry with you", she said quietly, looking at the floor. Lily knew she sounded dishonest, although she was trying her hardest not to be.

"I can contact CyberLife if you wish to file a complaint about my behaviour", the android suggested.

"_What_!?", her grey eyes were wide. "No, you don't need to do that!"

"But I have reason to believe that you are disappointed in me", he explained.

"I'm just, I mean… I'm a little shaken up from case, that's all. It's not a big deal, I just feel like we're making a mistake by arresting that android"

"What makes you say that?"

"Just look at him, Connor!", she led him to one of the windows in the house's living room. "He's traumatised, can't you see?", Lily pointed to the hand-cuffed Thomas in the police car outside.

"Neither deviants nor androids can feel emotions, Lieutenant Dover. It may just be a front that he is putting on to provoke a reaction from you and other officers, to make them think he is less guilty", Connor turned and spoke to her, speaking in a very flat and monotone voice.

"Less guilty?", she was baffled that Connor actually believed that the android was _faking_ his fear.

"Androids and Deviants can simulate emotions, but they don't feel anything. Their programming prevents them from gaining the ability to have their own emotions"

Lily only sighed; she could tell she wasn't getting anywhere, that Connor simply _couldn't_ understand because he was an android himself. Not knowing what to believe, she turned away from the RK-800 before focusing her attention on the raindrops that rolled down the window.

It was Connor's turn to look sadly, he didn't understand why Lily was upset.

_*Software Instability: Corrupted Drive at 25%_*

He only could theorise that she maybe saw something unsettling when she was investigating the attic. Wanting to console or relieve the young DPCD lieutenant of whatever was troubling her, he tried to find out about what she saw when she found the Deviant.

"Did you find anything of importance when you were investigating the attic, Lieutenant?"

"No, not really". Hank came into the kitchen.

"Connor, Lily, it's time to go. We're taking the deviant back to the station now, our boys have finished up here". As she got out of her seat, Lily suddenly remembered something.

"Wait", she held up her hand to stop the android and her partner. They both turned to her, one in confusion, the other in interest.

"What is it, Lieutenant?", Connor asked politely.

"There was something weird in the attic", she was deep in thought as she spoke.

"Which was?", Hank implored.

"I found this weird mannequin, it had the DCPD logo and the date _2018_ written on it"

"That was over 20 years ago, Lil", Hank crossed his arms. "I think you might be looking into stuff that doesn't lead anywhere", he crossed the room to stand next to her. "Listen, I know it's been a long night, let's just get back to the station and-"

"No seriously, it was like one of those that were used for target practice when training new recruits… I thought it was weird, because Ortiz doesn't have any firearms, but…" as she cut off, all three people in the kitchen looked at each other. Lily turned towards the android next to her.

"Connor, can you do a scan of the architecture?", Lily asked, her eyes becoming brighter as she realised that she might be on to something.

"If that would help with the investigation, then yes", he began to run his scanner around the building. "What am I looking for?"

"Check for any hidden doors, or something like a concealed safe or cache in the ground or in-between-the walls", Lily explained. After a few seconds, Connor's LED turned yellow briefly. Lily and Hank exchanged grins. Connor pointed to the floor in the middle of the room.

"There is a hidden room under the floor, the door lies underneath the kitchen table". Hank looked impressed for once.

"Maybe it's a good thing you're here after all, eh Connor?", Hank grinned slightly as he and Connor began to lift the table and Lily pulled out the rug from underneath it. True enough, there was a small wooden trapdoor in the floor, much like the one leading into the attic, except this hatch had a large, rusty-iron padlock on it.

Quite incredibly, Connor stooped down to the hatch, taking hold of the handle and with one hand, he forcibly pulled it apart.

Connor was _strong_!

Lily and Hank stood back as the padlock fell, broken, to the floor, staring incredulously at the android. Connor was about to pull open the door in the ground when Hank pushed passed him.

"I think it's best if I go first", he eyed the android. "Just in case there's any more deviants hiding", he added as he pulled out his gun from the holster. Lily smirked to herself; she knew Hank was only deciding to take the lead was because he didn't want to get shown up by an android.

He was just a _little_ bit childish in that way.

Throwing open the hatch, Hank descended a small set of steps into the dark basement. Lily was about to follow him as Connor put his hand out to stop her. His warm brown eyes told her to wait until Hank had given the all clear.

About a few seconds later, the two heard Hank call up.

"Jesus Christ, did this guy raid an armoury or something?"

"Did you find anything, Hank?", Lily called down.

"Yep, you _both_ better come see this"

XXX

"Just look at all this shit!", Hank exclaimed, gesturing to the hundreds of guns that lined the walls of the basement. "This guy must've been running some kind of crime ring, if he has such a huge stash under his house"

"It would explain his strange visitors, they may have been the ones he was buying and selling the weapons from", Connor explained.

"And it explains that weird target-practise dummy from the DCPD in the attic, he was using it to test out his guns", Lily added.

"Well, it's very lucky you linked this to an illegal weaponry ring", Hank patted Lily on the shoulder. "I'm proud of you, kid".

"Thanks Hank", she smiled. The android watched the pair, feeling left out.

"But we wouldn't have gotten this far without Connor", Lily told her partner. The android looked at her with bright eyes. "He's the one who did most of the work".

"All right, well done to you too, Connor", Hank rolled his eyes but it wasn't in a sarcastic, grumpy way. He seemed to be _genuinely_ complimenting the RK-800.

"Come on", Hank checked his watch. "The Captain will be expecting us back any minute now, AND he'll want a full report of this by tomorrow lunch at the latest"

"Damn", Lily pulled a face of mock annoyance. "I guess that's where you're lucky, Connor", she turned to the android. "You won't ever get lumbered with paperwork"

Connor didn't know whether to consider himself lucky or not, but he trusted the words of Lt. Dover, so he believed that he _was_ fortunate.

_Very_ fortunate indeed.

XXX

_12:56am_

At the DCPD station, Lily walked with Hank and Connor, as all three watched the Deviant being led down the corridors to the detaining cells. Lily watched silently, a lump in her throat. They had left the crime scene prior, with the police officers needing to bring more vehicles to Ortiz's house in order to transport and confiscate all the smuggled weapons back to the station.

"Wait, where are they taking him?", Lily tugged on Hank's jacket sleeve as she saw the police wardens drag the handcuffed Thomas to the interrogation room.

"The Captain wants us to interrogate the suspect _now_, so we don't have to detain him overnight", Hank explained.

"But-", Lily began.

"I know right?", Hank grumbled. "_Selfish bastard_, it's not like Fowler's gotta do this shit. He's sleeping soundly at home while we have to try and get a _confession_ out of this fucking thing".

As the younger lieutenant was about to argue, she was interrupted again before she could even open her mouth.

"Lily!", a voice called from the other end of the corridor.

"Shit", was all that came from Hank. "Why has _Gavin_ gotta be the one to join us? Fowler's _deliberately_ screwing with me now", the lieutenant muttered under his breath.

Connor watched as a tall, dark-haired officer approached the trio. He assumed the man was a detective, as he was wearing his own clothes like Hank and Lily, which was different compared to the other officers at the DCPD. Connor scanned the man's face, revealing that his name was Gavin Reed, 36-years-old and that (from what the RK-800 _assumed_) he was a rather attractive male human specimen.

The android thought that the last point must've been true as Detective Reed approached Lily and kissed her. Connor felt his mind go blank for a moment, as he blinked, dumbfounded, at what he was watching. Since being created, he had never seen an intimate or romantic act between two people, and it fascinated him a little.

_*Software Instability: Corrupted Drive at 28%_*

Lily turned bright pink as Gavin kissed her on the cheek. Truth be told, she wasn't exactly _sure_ what her actual relationship with him was. They definitely weren't dating, although the Detective had asked her out a few times before, but she had always had an excuse to politely decline his offer.

It wasn't that she disliked him, but Lily had never really held a conversation that was long enough for her to get even a rough idea of what Gavin was like; although that was the excuse _he_ always used to ask her out, saying that they'll get to know each other better if they stopped to the bar after work (except Lily didn't drink) or went for coffee.

Still, he made excuses to sometimes touch Lily (not in a lewd or aggressive way, Hank was always making sure the detective never got too close to her!) and talk to her as often as he could, which _still_ wasn't very much. She felt bad, thinking that maybe she was leading Gavin on, but she decided that she didn't want to dismiss him entirely until she knew him better.

Lily did admit, Gavin could sometimes be rude and kind of obnoxious to some people, but she also understood that he could be quite a funny guy, he was popular around the office, and he was kind of good-looking as well as being an excellent detective, so he couldn't be _all _bad, right?

It was as the young lieutenant was thinking this, did her point get proven about the detective's occasional bad attitude, only this time, it was ten-fold.

As Gavin pulled away from the kiss on her cheek, he noticed that a tall stranger standing next to Hank was staring at himself and the girl he wanted to date. The detective did _not_ like that one bit.

"The fuck are you looking at, _prick_?", he stepped in front of the young man, challenging him. Gavin noticed that the stranger had an LED light on the side of his head, and it _clicked_; the guy was an android. He smiled at the android cruelly, circling him, eyeing him up and down.

"And who might you be?", he sneered. The robot seemed to be unaffected by the Gavin's obvious sarcasm.

"Hello, Detective Reed", it replied politely. "My name is Connor. I am the android sent by CyberLife". Gavin didn't like how the android addressed him so calmly, like it knew him. Glaring at Connor, he then decided that he wouldn't bother with the android as of now, but decided that he'd be sure to put it to… "_work_" for him in the future. He grinned maliciously.

"They letting robots in here, now?", he mocked. Hank coughed.

"Oh, sorry Lieutenant, I'm surprised I didn't notice you there", Gavin turned to Hank. "I should've guessed from the stink of booze". Hank didn't bother to retaliate, although he did eyeball the detective.

"Come on, let's get this over with", Hank pushed past Gavin, as Connor followed him down the corridor. Lily put her head in her hands, this was going to be a _long_ night.

XXX

The room was silent, as the three DPCD officers plus the android watched as Lieutenant Anderson tried to get the deviant (named Thomas) to talk. It was sat down in the cell, it's hands cuffed together, blankly staring at the table it was chained to. Nothing Hank seemed to do made it confess, it was completely unresponsive.

"Why'd you kill him?", Hank asked for the 3rd time. Lily turned towards her co-worker Chris, who shook his head and looked at Gavin. The detective was leaning up against the wall and the three humans watched the interrogation from behind the one-way mirror.

"What happened before you took that knife?", the deviant didn't say anything. Lily looked at her watch, it read 00:41am. She yawned, it was past midnight and they had been here for ages, to no avail.

"How long were ya in the attic?", Hank looked from the mirror back to the android. "Why didn't you even try to run away?". He clicked his fingers in front of it's face, trying to get it to focus on him, but it didn't look up and instead continued to stare at the table.

"SAY _SOMETHING_, GODDAMMIT!", he slammed his hands on the metal table in aggravation.

The deviant didn't even _blink_.

"Fuck it, I'm outta here", he got up from the table in resignation, as the door to the interrogation cell opened and shut. Hank came into the observation room next-door. Connor watched as he sat down between Lily and Chris.

"We're wastin' our time interrogating a machine, we're gettin' nothing out of it!", Hank leaned back in his chair tiredly.

"He's not reacting to anything, he's become completely unresponsive", Lily stated, looking at Thomas through the glass in pity.

"You mean _it_", Gavin corrected her. "It's not a person, Lil", she looked at Gavin as he spoke to her. "Could always try _roughing it up_ a little", he suggested, shrugging his shoulders. "After all… it's not human"

"Androids don't feel pain". Everyone in the room turned at Connor who spoke up for the first time since they had begun the interrogation. "You would only damage it, and that wouldn't make it talk", he explained. Gavin let out a murmur of irritation.

"Deviants also have a tendency to _self-destruct_ when they're in stressful situations-"

"Okay _smartass_", Gavin interrupted the android. He pushed past Connor, resting his hands on the back of Lily's chair. "What should we do, then?", he turned to face the RK-800. Connor didn't like the fact that Gavin was so close to Lily.

"I could try questioning it", he stated. Gavin let out a hearty roar of laughter, pointing to Connor mockingly while he joked to Lily and Chris. The two officers looked at Hank, who was in charge of the interrogation.

"What do we have to lose?", Hank shrugged. Gavin's smirk disappeared. "Dover? Miller? What do you two think?", Hank asked the two officers. Chris just shrugged, eyeing Gavin warily.

"Why not?", Lily asked, turning to look at Connor. He was intently staring at her in curiosity.

"Wait, you're seriously gonna let an android interrogate an android?", Gavin sneered a little at the idea.

"It's no different than a human interrogating a human", she stated. Hank smiled a little at her, as if to agree.

"Go ahead", he gestured to the android. "Suspect's all yours". Connor looked at the deviant through the glass, _this_ was his chance to show off what he was built for. He turned towards the door, letting his synthetic flesh melt away as his plastic hand connected with the panel, sliding the door open.

"Lil, you're really gonna let an _android_ do _our_ work _for_ us?", Gavin questioned her as soon as Connor had left the room.

"I think it's time we put his skills to the test, see why CyberLife insisted we had him with us", Hank answered for her.

"I agree", Lily told Gavin. "Connor was a real help at the crime scene, he's probably better suited for stuff related to deviants than we are", she explained as she watched Connor enter the interrogation cell. He skimmed through the case file on the table, before taking a seat opposite the android.

Using his scanner, Connor analysed the deviant, noticing that there were cigarette burns and bludgeoned marks on its arms. He found it's model, a HK-400 Housekeeper Android. The deviant's LED was yellow, indicating that it's probability of self-destruction was low. He decided on his approach, to gain the suspect's trust, but to frighten it slightly so he could extract a confession.

"You're damaged", the RK-800 began. "Did your owner do that? Did he beat you?". The LED flickered red, and understanding that it was becoming more stressed, Connor continued. Casually placing the case file in front of the android, he opened it up to show the pictures of Carlos Ortiz's corpse in the first page.

"You recognise him?", the android didn't say anything. "It's Carlos Ortiz. He was stabbed, 28 times". Connor held up another picture.

"That was written on the wall in his blood", he pointed to the message which read "I AM ALIVE" in huge bold letters.

"You're accused of murder, you know you're not allowed to endanger human life under _any_ circumstances", he informed the deviant. It's LED was being to flicker between yellow and red more frequently; it was getting more anxious. "Do you have anything to say in your defence?", Connor asked. The android didn't speak, but began to visually tremble a little.

"I can't help if you refuse to respond", Connor decided that he needed to start gaining its trust. The android said nothing despite it clenching its fists, so Connor tried to provoke a reaction instead.

"If you won't talk, I'm going to have to probe your memory-", he warned.

"NO!", the android stared at him in terror. Hank and Chris leaned forward, interested that Connor had managed to get it to respond. "No, please don't do that!", it begged. The android looked at Connor, before moving its gaze to the two-way mirror, looking right through the glass at Lily.

"_Can he see us_?", she thought, turning pale. She didn't want Thomas becoming even more traumatised.

"It's aware we're watching it", Hank said.

"What…", the deviant turned, whimpering, to look back at Connor. "What are they going to do to me?". The RK-800 only stared at the deviant, as it's pupils suddenly dilated in terror.

"They're gonna destroy me, aren't they?", he whimpered in fear. Connor suddenly understood why Lily had become distressed, he himself began to realise her sympathy for the deviant. Not wanting to cause her or the android in front of him any more grief, he tried to tread carefully; hoping he could get a confession by trying to reassure the deviant. However, it was also against his programming to lie.

"They are going to disassemble you to look for faults in your biocomponents", he explained, making his words sound clear but as gentle as possible. The deviant's head was bent in defeat. "They have no choice; they want to understand what happened but will resort to disassembling you if you don't say anything". The deviant began to cry, it sobbed and shook uncontrollably.

From the observation room, Gavin stood up and leaned forward to the window to get a better look at the scene.

"Why did you tell them you'd found me? Why couldn't you just have left me there?", the android looked up, tears in it's eyes. Connor didn't respond at first.

"The police officer…said she would find a way to help me, she said…", it stopped sobbing and met Connor's eyes. "She said her name was Lily".

Lily felt her face turn red as all three men sitting around her immediately stared in disbelief.

"You told the android you'd let it go?", Hank was incredulous.

"I... I wanted Thomas to trust me, so I could convince him to come to the station with us, without him having to go through any more violence".

"It told you its fucking _name_?", Gavin spat. "You can't trust these androids, Lil! Just take a look at it!", he pointed angrily to Thomas in the cell. "It's covered in blood, it _murdered_ someone! How can you try to forgive something like that?"

"He's scared, Gavin! He's been _traumatised_! I didn't want anyone else to get hurt!", she stood up from her seat abruptly, facing the detective head on although she was much shorter than him.

"Okay, let's just try to calm down", Hank chided Gavin and Lily, stepping between them and pushing them apart.

"Uh, Lieutenant?", Chris called from the desk in front of the one-way window.

"What?", both Lily and Hank asked at the same time. Chris sheepishly pointed to the interrogation cell through the one-way glass, not making eye-contact with either of them.

"The deviant's _talking_ about you, Lily".

From inside the cell, Connor sat a little uncomfortably, as the deviant _cried_ in front of him.

"She was going to let me go… until you sold me out", the deviant glared, slightly angrily at Connor. "It's ironic", the deviant put his head in his hands. "For once, a human actually tried to help me, but it was another android that had me locked up". The RK-800 changed subjects.

"I was programmed to hunt deviants like you, I only accomplished my mission". Thomas continued to sob, his head bowed down on the table so he didn't have to look at the android interrogating him.

"Look, if you help me, I can help you", Connor reasoned. "They know your master abused you; it wasn't your fault. If you explain what happened, I can persuade them to spare your life". He thought this would coax a confession, since he knew Deviant's believed themselves to be alive.

"I don't…. I don't want to die", Thomas whispered, tears running down his cheeks.

"Then talk to me", Connor implored him.

"I…", the deviant looked at the window again, knowing he was being watched by the humans. "I _can't_", he slumped down in his seat through fear and humiliation.

"I can't watch this", Lily said, getting out of her seat. Connor had been trying to convince the android into confessing, although it hadn't said or moved except from silently cry, despite Connor trying to calm and reassure it. Lily felt her heart glow a little as she looked at him; seeing the android that had at first come off as emotionless was actually kind and compassionate, and it made her feel warm.

Androids _must_ be able to feel emotions, she knew that by seeing Connor and Thomas, as one cried in fear, the other tried to understand and help him overcome his trauma. Still, she didn't know how much more she could bear to watch.

"What's wrong?", Hank asked as she stood up abruptly.

"Can I be excused, _please_?", Lily said hurriedly. She could feel the walls closing in around her; she needed to get out!

"Yeah, alright. If you really want to leave, fine by me, but Connor's just about to finish up with the suspect", Hank pointed to the cell through the window.

Connor had tried just about everything he could think of, but the deviant seemed to be unresponsive again. He always had the alternative to resort to threats and violence, but he knew that Lieutenant Dover was in the next room watching him, and the last thing he wanted at that moment was to upset her more.

Turning his focus on Hank and the other officers behind the glass, Connor shook his head in resignation, telling them he was giving up. He had failed his mission. The RK-800 stood up from his chair.

"He tortured me every day", the deviant finally spoke. Connor turned his head to it in astonishment, slowly sitting back down. "I did whatever he told me, but… there was always something wrong", it looked up at Connor, who gestured to it to continue.

"Then one day, he took a club and started beating me"

"Jesus Christ", Chris shook his head in amazement.

"For the first time I felt… _scared_…". Connor blinked at it, understanding that what was being described was the emotional shock that triggered the software malfunction in androids. "Scared he might _destroy_ me, scared I might _die_". Lily put her hands over her mouth.

"_Oh my god_", she whispered, one sole tear running down her cheek. Gavin noticed, reaching out and squeezing her shoulder.

He personally didn't feel any sympathy, it was a fucking _robot_, for Christ's sake! But he did feel bad for Lily; one of the reasons her was attracted to her was that she could be quite sensitive, meaning he had many opportunities to comfort her and gain her trust. She was his beautiful and innocent little flower, and he wasn't going to give her up to _anyone_.

"So I… grabbed the knife and I stabbed him in the stomach", the deviant continued.

"Holy shit", Hank rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly.

"I felt better…" the deviant insisted quietly. "So I stabbed him again, and _again_!", it raised its voice at the word 'again'.

"Until he collapsed on the floor… there was blood _everywhere_", it hoarsely whispered. Connor leaned forward, still having many questions he needed answers to.

"When did you start to feel emotion?", he asked.

"Before, he used to beat me and I never said anything. But one day, I realised… it wasn't _fair_!", the android spat. "I felt anger… _hatred_… and then I knew what I had to do".

Lily felt her heart shattering; the thought of anyone being treated so cruelly… it made her feel disgusted in herself and her fellow humans. She had never owned or really ever needed an android before, mainly because she couldn't afford one, but she still knew that she would _never_ treat them in such a way.

"Why did you write '_I AM ALIVE_' on the wall?"

"He used to tell me I was nothing, that I was just a piece of plastic. I _had_ to write it, to tell him he was wrong!". Hank and the other officers noticed that the deviant never addressed Carlos Ortiz by name, only by '_he'_, or '_him'_.

"Why did you hide in the attic instead of running away?", Connor leaned forward. Lily sank back down in her chair as Hank put a comforting hand on her knee. Part of her wanted to run far away from the station, away from the scene in the interrogation cell, but another part of her also wanted to learn more.

She wanted to _understand_.

"I didn't know what to do", the deviant stared at him with eyes full of honesty. "For the first time, there was no-one there to tell me… I was scared, so I hid in the only place I thought no one would find me". Hank turned and addressed the whole group.

"The android must've been unaware about its owner's arm ring, if it didn't know there was a hidden basement, otherwise he would've tried to hide there"

"Or it's just lying", Gavin shrugged. Hank gave him a look as if to say and a nod towards Lily, "_Watch it, you're on thin ice_".

"The sculpture, in the bathroom", Connor brought up. "You made it, right? What does it represent?"

"It's an offering… an offering so I'll be saved"

"The sculpture was an offering, an offering to whom?", Connor tried to get the deviant to elaborate.

"To rA9". Everyone in the observation room looked at each other in confusion.

"Only rA9 can save us", was its cryptic words. Connor remembered something, he had heard of rA9 _before_, but he couldn't remember where or what it meant…

"rA9, it was written on the bathroom wall, what does it mean?"

"The day shall come… when we will no longer be slaves", the deviant leaned forward, staring intently at Connor as if he was trying to tell him something crucial. "No more threats, no more humiliation. _We_ will be the masters"

"rA9, who is rA9!?", Connor insisted. The deviant did not reply, it only looked at Connor in earnest, as if it didn't need to say anymore, it's expression turning blank. Connor tried everything, but the deviant didn't respond, it just stared at him. Only when the Rk-800 gently tapped it's head, did it suddenly shiver.

"W-what am I doing here…? Who are you?", it shrank back away from Connor, suddenly and inexplicably terrified.

"Has it just forgotten everything?", Chris asked.

"I think… I think it's memory was just wiped", Lily watched, dumbfounded at the deviant's sudden change in behaviour. "It doesn't seem to remember anything"

"Why and how could someone do that? We're in a secure location!", Hank demanded.

"Maybe… something or… _someone_ didn't want the android telling us about rA9, whatever it is", Chris suggested.

"Look, fucking robot's just unstable. It probably did that self-destruct thing and cleared it's memory by itself so we would stop trying to get it to talk", Gavin brushed off the situation.

With no way to explain the deviant's sudden behaviour, Connor rose from his chair, standing out of the way as the Officer's Reed and Miller entered, followed by a shaken Lily and a disgruntled Hank.

"I am sorry if my actions upset or distressed you, Lieutenant Dover", Connor apologised to Lily as Gavin told Chris to lock up the android. "I only wished to-"

"Accomplish your mission", Lily finished the android's sentence for him. "I understand Connor, you're just doing your job", she gave him a weak smile, but Connor still felt concern for her emotional well-being.

"Leave me alone!", the frightened cry from the android caught the attention of all who were present. It backed away from Chris in fear as the police officer tried to grab it and lead it out of the room. "Don't touch me", it begged.

"Come now, don't be difficult, it'll only make things harder", Chris tried to calm the deviant, but with little success.

"The fuck are you doing?", Gavin snorted. "Move it!"

"That's what I'm trying to do!", Chris retorted.

"You shouldn't touch it", Connor explained to both men. "It'll self-destruct if it feels threatened"

"Stay outta this, got it?", Gavin stabbed a finger into Connor's chest. "No fuckin' android is gonna tell me what to do". Hank and Lily looked at each other in concern; the situation was getting ugly _fast_.

"You don't understand, if it self-destructs we won't get anything out of it!", Connor insisted, slightly frustrated.

"I told you to shut your _fucking_ mouth!", Gavin spun around to shout in the android's face.

"Gavin-", Lily tried to intervene by putting her hand on the Detective's shoulder.

"Stay out of this, Lil. I don't want you getting involved", he pushed her back behind him. "That fucking robot is _crazy_ and _dangerous_, you'll end up getting hurt". Gavin turned to his co-worker who was having trouble trying to haul the android about. "Chris, gonna move this asshole sometime _today_ or what?", he snapped.

"I'm trying!", Officer Miller yelled over the sound of the android's anxious cries. Connor looked at the two Lieutenants; Lily only gaped in horror at the terrified android, whereas Hank was taping his foot in a pissed-off manner. He hated androids, but he wasn't going to let people brutalise one, not in front of his partner. Hank was about to tell her to wait outside in the corridor, when Connor had finally had enough.

"I can't let you do that! Leave it alone, now!", the android demanded, marching towards the struggling police officer and pulling him off the deviant in a last-resort to diffuse the situation that was rapidly spiralling out of control. Gavin snapped.

"I _warned_ you, motherfucker!", Gavin swore as he pulled out his gun, aiming it at Connor's head.

"_Jesus_!", Lily put her hands over her mouth as the room quickly turned into a Mexican stand-off. Gavin momentarily glanced at her, before re-focussing his glare on the android.

"That's enough", Hank warned as he pushed Lily behind him so she was out of harm's way.

"Mind your own business, Hank!", Gavin spat whilst glaring at the slightly taller android with murderous eyes. Connor didn't seem concerned in the slightest that he had a gun pointing directly at his forehead; but he still stood his ground against the smaller human man. He knew what would happen if he was killed at this moment; another Connor model would be sent out to replace him, although his memories would still be mostly intact. Although death was currently no threat to him, Connor didn't want to be killed in front of Lieutenant Dover's eyes, he feared for the emotional pain that might befall her for witnessing someone's death right before her eyes.

"I said, _that's enough_" Hank pulled out his own gun at the detective. Gavin glared at Hank, moving his eyes to Lily who was staring, wild-eyed behind the lieutenant. He then glared back at Connor who stood unwavering in front of him, not at all threatened. Gavin's face contorted and twisted as he gritted his teeth and clenched his fingers around his gun.

"_Fuck_!", he finally shouted, lowering the pistol from the android's face and shoving it back into his holster. "You're not gonna get away with it this time", he pointed one threatening finger at Hank.

Lily cautiously stepped out behind him, wary of the detective's sudden violent actions. It was then he knew he had probably destroyed any trust and high-esteem she held of him, and it was all that fucking_ android's_ fault. He pushed past the two lieutenants, not saying another word to either apart from swearing a second time under his breath.

Lieutenant Dover watched him go, letting out a sigh of relief as she heard him loudly stomp away. She gave Connor a relieved look before she crouched down in front of the second android that lay, quivering, on the ground.

"Are you okay, Thomas?", he looked at her with fear. "Everything is alright, it's over now I promise", she held out her hand to him, but he flinched and tried to back away. "It's okay, _shh_", she soothed him, and he stopped panicking. "Nobody's going to hurt you".

Connor turned to Officer Miller who was staring at the scene in wonder.

"Please, don't touch it", he informed Chris. "Let it follow you out of the room, and it won't cause any trouble". As he spoke, the Deviant hesitantly got up, still handcuffed. Thomas gave a very tiny smile to Lily as he stood up.

"Thank you", he whispered almost silently. She gave him a sad but reassuring smile back. Chris uncertainly walked to the interrogation room door, and the deviant followed him. As Thomas walked past Connor, he muttered something to his fellow android, his LED flashing bright blue.

"_The truth is inside_"


	6. Chapter 6: A late night run-in

**Author's Note: **

**Hey guys! Enchanted Mask here :p A big thank you to everyone who has favourited/reviewed/voted, etc on this story. It really means a lot to me that people enjoy my work :3 **

**Speaking of, a quick word about The man made from machine; I've actually written up to 16 chapters of this and they're all very long and detailed. ****However, I don't want to release them all at once because it would make people impatient and wonder why 10 chapters come out instantly, then have to wait several weeks (or however long it takes!) for the next chapter, as I feel that would be a bit unfair. **

**I'm also constantly going back and re-reading and editing parts, mainly grammar or little things but nevertheless I don't want to submit somthing that is incomplete, it seems a bit silly and unprofessional, so I'll always do my best to avoid it. ****I hope everyone enjoys this new chapter about our precious cinnamon bun Connnor and be sure to review and favourite if you liked it :)**

**Take care of yourselves,**

**_Enchanted Mask_**

**XOXO**

XXX

_01:14am_

"Are you sure you're okay, Connor?", Lily asked as the android stood next to herself and Hank outside on the front steps of the DCPD's HQ. The RK-800 assured her he was fine, as Hank stared up at the rainy night sky.

"You need a lift, Lil?", he asked. The lieutenant knew she'd left her bike at home (due to taking the bus to work instead because of the rain), and her plain white bicycle was pretty much her only means of transportation. The buses wouldn't be running this late, anyway.

"I'd be grateful, thanks Hank". Lily turned to Connor as Hank went to the DCPD car park to drive his vehicle to the front steps. "What will you do now?", she asked the android.

"I will return to CyberLife as of now, but I hope to work with you again in the morning", he explained politely. Lily nearly fell backwards as she met his eyes.

Connor was _smiling_ at her!

It was the first time she had ever seen an android, let alone one as reserved as him, actually smile at anything or to anyone. She felt blessed.

"_It rather suits him_", Lily thought as she grinned back.

"Goodnight Lieutenant", he gave what looked like an adorable little bow to her, before descending down the steps.

_*Software Instability: Corrupted Drive at 32%_*

"Goodnight… Connor", she called to the android, who looked back at her with gleaming eyes at the mention of his name, before disappearing into the dark rain of the night. Lily felt her head spin with warm, fuzzy feelings.

"_Hello_? Earth to Lily?", Hank joked, his head sticking out the driver's window of his car. Lily nearly jumped out of her skin, she hadn't even noticed Hank pull up right in front of her.

"Sorry, Hank", she apologised as she quickly darted into the passenger seat.

"Jesus, how long were you standing out in the rain? You're soaked!", he gestured to her hair and clothes.

"I was just… away with the fairies for a moment"

"Clearly", came the gruff voice next to her. Lily looked out the window as the car pulled away from the DCPD HQ.

"Where did the android go, anyway?", Hank asked. "Not that I care"

"He said he was going back to CyberLife, but he'll be at HQ tomorrow morning", Lily explained.

"God, I hope he isn't", Hank snorted. "He wasn't even on the case for more than about two hours and Gavin already tried to blast his fucking face off!"

"Why did you step in?", she asked, peering at the driving Lieutenant curiously. "You could've let Gavin shoot him, but you didn't. Why?"

"I didn't want anyone getting shot, android or human", he grumbled. "Especially not with you in the room as well", he turned to meet her gaze.

"I know I put on a front to seem pissed, but I _do_ care about you. Your old man told me to, well, keep an eye on you for him", Hank explained. "'Course, that was before the… er-"

"Yeah", Lily cut him off, not wanting to talk about it anymore. Hank seemed to understand and handed her the case of one of his favourite music cases.

"Here, put that on", he told her.

"A CD? Really Hank? You're so old-fashioned, _gramps_", she grinned, putting the disc into the car's stereo.

"Watch it, young lady", he growled, but Lily could see him smiling as he jokingly warned her.

Looking out the window to the night sky, she gazed about the darkened city streets. Detroit could sometimes look dangerous at night, due to the notorious underground criminal gangs which smuggled everything around the city from weapons to the infamous drug, _Red Ice_. But Lily had lived here her entire life, and no matter how many grave headlines that were posted on the News Channels, she always wanted to remember her hometown as the beautiful, prosperous paradise from her childhood.

XXX

They listened to '_Knights of the Black Death'_ for a few minutes with no talking between either police officer, until Lily spotted a pet advertisement on one of the city's massive digital billboards. She gasped, which grabbed Hank's attention.

"What is it?"

"I don't have any food for Scramble and Smartie at home!", she gabbled. Hank rolled his eyes so hard that they disappeared momentarily.

"Jesus Christ, I swear you worship those damn cats"

"_They're the ones who've helped me through everything when you're not there_", she thought to herself. Lily shook her head as quickly as the thought disappeared, immediately feeling guilty.

"I was gonna get some at the 24/7 store after work but… then we had the investigation and, oh god it slipped my mind". The ploy of sweet-talk suddenly became _very_ tempting.

"Hank… you don't suppose…?", she implored him with big, pleading eyes. He sighed heavily over the loud music. "Please!? Can we just really quickly pull up in front of the nearest convenience store? There's one close by in Camden". Hank was unmoved. "C'mon! We're already in East Downtown!", she argued, but still got no response.

"I'll buy you donuts". Lily smirked as Hank's eyes briefly flickered over to her in interest, before re-focussing on steering the car down the lamp-lit streets.

"_O'Mansley_ Donuts?", he asked, not looking at her.

"Yep, a huge, deluxe box of Detroit's _best_ O'Mansley Donuts. Sound fair?".

"Deal", he said immediately. "But I want them as soon as you get out of the store"

"_Result_!", she grinned to herself.

XXX

After another 5 minutes, Hank pulled up to the curb, parking on the side of the road; the 24/7 was just visible around the street corner. It's bright orange-and-white neon sign lit up the whole road, reflecting throughout the puddles. Lily undid her seat-belt, noticing they were in the Ravendale District.

"Be back soon", she said hurriedly, getting out the car.

"Don't forget the donuts!", Hank bellowed after her. Lily quickly ran into the store, not wanting to test her partner's patience. The rain once again pelted down on her black hood.

"_God, Connor walked off by himself without a coat or umbrella, I hope he's okay_", she worried about her new android friend, rushing into the warmth of the bright store. Taking off her hood, Lily grabbed one of the shopping baskets and made a beeline for the pet food, which was luckily right by the door. She noticed that there was barely anyone else in the store; aside from herself and the cashier, only a young mother and her little girl, who were talking to the employee at the checkout.

"_It's not as if that's unlikely, not many people are out this late_", she thought, checking her watch which read: _01:32am_. It was just past half 1 in the morning, but the mini-market _was_ open 24 hours.

Making her way through the store, Lily grabbed her basket's-worth of groceries: milk, cat food, bread, shampoo, and to pamper herself, her favourite coffee beans. Passing by the bakery section, Lily was certain to put the biggest box of O'Mansley donuts into her shopping bag, in order to keep her end of her deal with Hank. Heading to the checkout and waiting in line behind the mother and child, snippets of conversation between the family and cashier began to catch Lily's attention.

"Please, could you spare some money so we could get a room for the night? We only need 30 dollars", the woman pleaded.

"_30 dollars_!? Lady, that's _theft_!", the guy behind the counter laughed a little rudely.

"Look, this is a _convenience store_, not the Salvation Army, ok? You better leave, if you're not gonna buy anything", he dismissed them, eyeing up and down the young woman. "You're holding up the line of customers who actually _have_ money", the employee gestured to Lily, and the guy who was now standing behind her in the queue. The dark-haired woman looked down sadly and left the line; her little girl taking hold of her hand and walking away with her mother.

"What will we do now?", the little girl asked, not noticing as her small toy fell from the backpack on her back. Lily watched them go, not noticing the cashier put on a warm smile as he also eyed _her_ up. Lily thought she recognised the woman, she had a familiar face, but the lieutenant couldn't place where she had seen her before…

"Can I help you?", the employee asked in a smooth, slick voice.

"Just give me a minute, please", she quickly answered, putting her shopping basket to the side of the checkout before picking up the girl's toy and running after them. Luckily, the parent and child had only reached the door when Lily had given chase. She held out the little's girl's toy to her, which was a plush fox. The girl hesitantly took it, as Lily smiled at her.

"That's a pretty toy you have, what's its name?"

"Ralph", she answered timidly, rubbing the toy's soft fur against her cheek.

"She's adorable, is she yours?", Lily stood up to address the woman, who smiled in thanks.

"Yes, Alice is mine", she nervously answered, while resting her palms on Alice's shoulders. "I'm Kara", the mother held out her hand to the off-duty officer.

"Lily", she smiled, shaking Kara's hand. "Listen, I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I overheard you're in a bit of trouble". Kara sadly looked down at the little girl.

"Yes, we just need some money for the night, but please, don't feel as if you have to-"

"No, I'd be happy to help you both out", Lily smiled. "Wait here", she gestured to the inside of the store.

"I think we'll stay outside, thanks", Kara warily eyed the store's security camera.

"Are you sure? It's still raining out there". Kara nodded. "Ok, well, take this then", Lily handed her own umbrella to the mother who gave her a grateful nod and went to wait outside the shop.

Lily quickly went around the store, her basket still being kept aside, as she grabbed a few things and checked her purse. Making her way back to the waiting cashier (as the guy who had been in the line behind Lily had already bought his stuff and left), she paid for everything she had collected.

As she pulled out her credit card to pay, Lily noticed the cashier was making eyes at her. Ignoring the awkward gesture, she grabbed her plastic shopping bags and tried to quickly hurry out to Kara and Alice, but the cashier stopped her before she could leave.

"Hey… can I get your number?", he winked at her, leaning forward over the counter. Lily cringed, turning bright red.

"Er, sorry… but I have a boyfriend", she quickly lied before almost racing out the store. Quickly locating Kara and Alice under the supermarket's shelter from the rain, Lily went to them and handed each a sandwich and a bottle of water.

"I hope you both like cheese and ham", she smiled.

"Thank you very much, but this really wasn't necessary…", Kara began.

"Oh nonsense, I'm sure you're both hungry", Lily assured her. "And this is for a room for the night", she handed Kara a fistful of notes, as she dark-haired young woman examined them.

"50 dollars!?", she exclaimed with wide, astonished eyes.

"I only hope it's enough, it should let you get a room at a hotel for the night, and there's hopefully enough left for breakfast in the morning", she pointed behind Kara to the _Eastern Motel_ down the street from the store.

"Will you both be okay- WOAH!", Lily was taken aback as Kara suddenly gave her a big hug. She looked down at Alice, who also joined the hug. When they all eventually pulled away, Lily noticed some tears on Kara's face.

"Hey, it's ok", she comforted Kara, brushing away her tears.

"Thank you, no hu- I mean, _person_ has ever been so kind to us before", she said with a shaky voice, trying to regain her composure.

"Well then, hopefully you'll find better people", Lily smiled.

"Why are you helping us? We're complete strangers", Kara asked. Lily didn't hesitate to answer.

"Everyone goes through rough times, but there's always something to look forward to, cause it _does_ get better, trust me", Lily said almost a little too emotionally, remembering…

She mentally shook her head; she didn't want to think about that right now.

Quickly checking her watch, Lily realised that Hank was probably pissed from waiting for so long.

"I honestly have to go, but I wish you the best of luck", she gave Kara another hug, and bent down to hug Alice as well.

"Bye, Lily", Alice said quietly.

"If you're ever in trouble, ask for _Lieutenant Dover_ at the DCPD, we're located in downtown Detroit", she told Kara. The dark-haired young woman did a double-take.

"You work at the DCPD?", she stared with wide-eyes.

"Yeah, don't worry, we don't bite", she joked at Kara's sudden expression. Waving goodbye, she quickly jogged down the street to Hank's car. Opening the door, Lily jumped into the passenger front seat and held out a box to Hank who was still sulking at the steering wheel.

"Donut?", she offered him, teasingly.

"You've been gone for about 15 minutes! What the hell were you doing?", Hank said as he grumpily grabbed a donut and scoffed it down quickly.

"Just making friends", Lily smiled as she looked out the window into the rainy night.

XXX

_01:49am_

Lily got out of Hank's car, as the lieutenants exchanged "goodnight's". Watching her partner drive off into the rainy mist, she turned, shopping bags in each hand into the building of her apartment block.

She lived in the Greektown District of the downtown area in the city, one of the more pleasant places in Detroit. The neighbourhood had some very beautiful parks and high-rise buildings, as well as it being mainly a shopping district. Her apartment wasn't far from the famous Greektown plaza, which held a cinema, a popular chain coffee house (St. Clair Café), a fountain, a huge CyberLife store, as well as a very beautiful art shop called "_Bellini Paints_".

Lily was _very_ grateful that she lived in a good neighbourhood.

Finally getting out of the rain for good that night, Lily trudged up the steps to her floor, self-consciously aware of how loud her footsteps were. Finding her floor, she headed down the hallway, hearing little bits of sound from each apartment as she passed, such as Tv's, music and loud conversations.

Standing in front of her home and putting her shopping bags on the floor, Lily fumbled with her keys, eventually managing to one-handedly unlock her front door. She heard the sound of frantic scratching inside her apartment, and she grinned as she opened her door.

Immediately, the police lieutenant was tackled to the floor, and attacked with a frenzy of kisses. Giggling, Lily pushed her attacker off her chest, as she grabbed her shopping and proceeded to fight her way inside, against the vicious bundle of orange-gold fur at her feet. Putting her stuff on her kitchen counter and turning on the light, she embraced one of her cats, Scramble, as the other feline, Smartie, slowly ambled out towards her.

"Hello my darlings, did you have a nice day?", she kneeled down to her pets. Smartie made her way over to the lieutenant, rubbing her fur against Lily. Scramble on the other hand was going crazy, he leapt up into his beloved mistress' lap, rolling around in pure joy at her return. Lily cuddled her cats for a minute or two, before she had to drag herself away and put all the food she had bought earlier that night into her fridge and cupboards. Attending to the needs of her pets, she put out some of the fresh wet-food into each cat's bowl; it was the expensive kind, as both were quite picky.

Her apartment was quite modest, it had 4 rooms: her bathroom and bedroom joined her kitchen/living room via a small hallway, as well as one small room along the corridor that she used for a study.

Lily then went to put away her shoes and hoodie, which had been left forgotten since now. Moving around her apartment, she went into her bedroom, changing into her nightwear which was a white t-shirt (with a character from a Magical-Girl anime she loved when she was a kid), her pink underwear and some white bunny-slippers. Lily looked around her bedroom, she didn't feel like sleeping.

Turning off the light and closing the door, she headed down the corridor into the biggest room in her home. On one side was her front door and where she kept her shoes and a few other essentials, with her kitchen at the back of the room and the island counters (where Lily ate on high-stools like at a local bar), and her living room taking up the rest of the space.

She slumped down on her pale purple sofa, and turning on her radiator with a remote control, Lily rested herself, tired from her long day. She felt too exhausted to sleep, but didn't want to stay awake and do something like watch TV. She smiled at Smartie, as the lazy cat wearily climbed onto the sofa next to her mistress and made herself comfortable.

Lily absentmindedly reached out to stroke the cat; Smartie was mainly cream-coloured but had big patches of fluffy black fur over her face and body, unlike Scramble's ginger hair. The latter cat proudly marched over to his owner, sitting on the floor next to her, like he was guarding over Lily. She yawned, and decided she might as well lie here and sleep for the night.

Using the remote (which controlled most of the electronic devices in her home), Lily turned on the small starry lamps around the room, but made every other light in the apartment switch off. Grabbing a soft blanket that rested on the sofa with her, Lily pulled it over herself, making sure not to disturb Smartie who snored peacefully next to her like a fluffy hot-water bottle.

"_Man, I wish I could sleep like her_", she thought sadly, remembering… _that._

Not wanting to think about anything else, Lily turned over, her mind disagreeing with her as the images of everything that happened that day flashed through her stressed head.

_"Thomas being abused… getting kissed by Gavin… the crime scene… helping Kara and Alice… meeting Connor…"_

_Connor…_

The android was the thing in Lily's head as she succumbed to the deep black void of sleep.


	7. Chapter 7: It stays in the staff room

**I'm so, so sorry my Deviants! I have neglected you for so long and I'm so sorry for that. So many things have happened since I last updated; I changed subjects, started a-level studies, numerous projects and my life has just been so busy that writing has taken a back-seat in my life and hasn't been on the top of priorities for ages. **

**But, I promised I had written 16 chapters and here are the remainding 10! **

**I had them all safe on my computer and was definitely going to release them but I was adament I would edit and re-read through them first, as I started writing them 2 years ago and since then my skills have developed a LOT so they're no where near as well-writen as I'd like them to be. **

**I _have _been listening to your cries however! So many people messaged me and begged me to continue the story and I felt so guilty about leaving you all for so long, and I felt that I'd spent too long keeping everyone waiting so instead I decided to release them as they are and go back and edit them at a later date :c **

**I'm honestly so thrilled that people like my work and have enjoyed it enough to ask me to write more! 3 So far I'm halfway through Chapter 17 which is when things _start to go down_ but as before, I need to finish it and edit stuff before we can continue! There are so many more things I'm working on at the same time, and hopefully soon I can start writing them up!**

**I'll talk more about what my new projects are in my message at the start of Chapter 16, if people are interested to know then you'll find out when you read up then! **

**Thank you all so much for supporting my work it genuinely means a lot to me that people read my work 3 I promise I'll try to at least start other stories so I won't go completely dead for another year and abandon you all again :c**

**Take care of yourselves,**

_**EM**_

**XoXo**

XXX

_She ran down an endless, empty hospital hallway. Each room as blank and useless as the one before. Lily raced faster. She needed to catch up._

_She needed to get there in time._

"DAD!", she screamed, sitting bolt-upright. Lily panted heavily, closing and opening her eyes in an effort to calm herself. Finally regaining some strength, and sanity, she managed to look around her.

Scramble and Smartie were both sitting next to her, each cat with bright, staring eyes, indicating they had both been disturbed by her sudden outburst.

"Sorry, my babies", Lily apologised, stroking both of them. The two cats snuggled up to her, Smartie over her legs, Scramble over her lap.

"_It's okay, we're here for you_"

She looked about her apartment, sunlight was bursting underneath her cream curtains; it was morning. A buzz woke her up further. Reaching for the phone on her coffee table amongst magazines and sweet wrappers, Lily looked at the caller ID and grinned. _Madison_.

"_Hey girl, you coming in today_?", came the overly-cheery voice of Lily's best friend. Madison and Lily had been best friends ever since they met at the training school for police, and they had lucked out majorly when both were assigned to the DCPD directly.

"I'm not sure… I legit just woke up", Lily rubbed the bridge of her nose tiredly, feeling… something wet.

Was she having a nose bleed?

Quickly examining her finger, she realised she was _soaked_ in sweat! It was drenched all over her, especially down the front of her nightshirt. Rolling her eyes in exhaustion, Lily got off the sofa and headed to her bathroom, phone in hand. Scramble followed her like usual, staying by her side like a dog (which was strange as he was definitely a cat).

"Why're you calling so early anyway?", Lily asked.

"_Hun, it's 9am already_", Madison laughed from the other end of the phone, before she sounded like she had remembered a sudden realisation. "_Oh, is it a bad day_?", she asked Lily.

"Yeah, but… I'm alright", the lieutenant insisted.

"_Oh, I'm so sorry Lil! I didn't even think and_-"

"It's okay, Mads", she reassured her best friend. "I just had a bad night"

"_It hasn't happened in a while, has it_?"

"No, but I think it's starting again", she said quietly.

"_Just… remember to take your meds, you haven't run out, right_?", Madison asked worriedly.

"Nope, got enough drugs here to kill a horse", Lily joked whilst looking inside her medicine cabinet above her bathroom sink, trying to get her BFF to calm down a little.

"_Ok, you know you can call me anytime, even if it's 3am, yeah_?"

"I know Mads, and I'm really grateful for you looking out for me", Lily smiled.

"_It's only what any BFF would do! Anyway, don't come 'round today if you don't feel like it_"

"Actually, I think I will head over. I've got the whole weekend off anyway, but we've got a lot of cases right now so I'm sure Fowler wouldn't mind another officer dropping round to help out", Lily petted Scramble's furry head, who was sitting on the wash-basket next to the sink.

"_Alrighty then… but don't force yourself- HEY! Muffin! Give me back my shoe! BAD DOG!_", Lily heard her best friend quarrel with her Yorkshire Terrier as the dog chewed one of Madison's stiletto heels.

"Besides, you'll be flirting with half the department, you're not gonna be paying any attention to jay-walkers or shoplifters", Lily grinned, teasing her friend over the noise at the other girl's house. She sat on the edge of her bath as she listened to her friend talk to her over the phone.

"_Hey! No fair! You're one to talk, anyway Miss Casanova_", Madison's stroppy voice replied.

"What you mean?", Lily laughed, taking out her capsule of pills from the medicine cabinet.

"_They're all looking at **you** anyway, the gorgeous new **Lieutenant**_", Madison joked.

"They are certainly not! I make sure to keep to my own desk instead of distracting innocent sergeants by lounging about on their chairs", Lily argued but laughing at the same time.

"_That was one time! Anyway, he was my boyfriend for a good few months after that, before I saw him making moves on the girl at reception. **Then** he got kicked to the curb!_", Madison giggled. "_How is your desk anyway? I'm so jealous you've got your own joint_!"

"As far as desks go, I'd say it's pretty sweet", Lily laughed. "Back to the original point, why did you call me at this time anyway?", she grinned as she turned on her shower, getting ready for her morning wash.

"_Gavin was asking about you_", she said.

"_Oh_", Lily thought, her happy mood suddenly faltering as quickly as it had come.

"_Lil? You still there_?", Madison's voice echoed throughout the bathroom.

"Yeah, I'm just about to get in the shower, I'll see you at the station in about an hour or so, okay?"

"_Sure! I'd be happy to see you. Ooh! Got an idea! Let's have coffee. My morning break's at 11_"

"I'll be sure to get in the station for then", Lily said as she quickly told her BFF goodbye and hung up. She sat down on the edge of her bath again, Scramble looked up at her from the floor.

"I don't wanna deal with Gavin today", she told the cat. "After the way he was last night, I've never seen him that… _violent_ before. It was like he was almost _unstable_". Scramble blinked at her, understanding everything. He walked over to sit by the shower, staring at Lily the whole time.

"You're right", she said. "Gavin isn't important, but the DPCD _is_. I should just get ready and try to help out however I can". Lily picked up her cat, who wrapped himself around her neck, lying on her shoulders like a furry shawl.

"Wow, you ever thought about being a therapist?", Lily joked as she grabbed her medicine bottle and made her way back to the kitchen. Taking out an organic yogurt from her fridge, Lily swallowed her pills with the small breakfast, before going back to the warm shower.

"Radio, turn to _DetroitFM_"

Using voice command, Lily listened to the music on the city's radio station while she showered. After washing and drying herself off, she chose to wear a stylish white shirt with her practical jeans; being a lieutenant allowed her to wear her own clothes which came as an added _bonus_ to the promotion.

Emerging from her bedroom, Lily grabbed her hooded jacket and purse (it was unrealistic to carry a handbag in her line of work, fortunately, Lily cared little for women's fashion of 2038, so she had a very handy little case that she could slip inside the hidden zipped compartments of her everyday jacket), as well as her badge and DCPD card. She continued to get ready for work, humming along to the music.

"_Cause I can't compete with the She-Wolf who has brought me to my knees…_", the radio sang as Lily brushed her teeth at her bathroom sink.

"_What do you see in those yellow eyes? Cause I'm falling to pieces_". She turned off the tap and headed back into the living room to grab her hairbrush.

_I'm falling to pieces…_

Smartie was snoozing on the sofa, her little furry head lolling back in deep sleep. Lily rubbed the cat's soft tummy as Scramble followed her to the door, slipping out the cat-flap to accompany his mistress outside. She had never a reason to worry about having a cat-flap in her front door, as it was a state-of-the-art microchip cat-door that only Smartie and Scramble could use. Lily locked her front door, and her ginger tom cat followed her down through her stairwell, as she headed outside her apartment block.

"See you later, my lovely", she scratched him under his left ear, where he purred the loudest. Scramble blinked at her slowly, before watching his mistress go off to work. Lily didn't bother to take her bicycle, leaving it in the apartment block's bike-rack.

She thought a walk would do her good, give her time to think. Besides, she didn't need to be in time for anything anyway.

The thought of going home and sleeping, ordering takeout and playing with her cats appealed heavily to Lily, but the dedication to her job and her forthright nature argued against it, so she continued to walk through the Greektown District.

XXX

It felt like no time at all later when Lily came through the Plaza. She passed by the buzz of the district, and one of the liveliest parts of Detroit, glancing at cafés, cinemas, and shops as they came and went. Feeling her pocket buzz, alerting her that she had received a text message, Lily stopped under a beautiful red autumn tree in the square.

Autumn was her favourite season, although many found it sad to see the trees losing their leaves, Lily thought it was more like they were showing off their true beauty before sleeping for a few months and returning in the spring. Taking her phone out of her pocket, Lily looked at the text.

She cringed, it was from Gavin.

"_Hey Lil, you gonna be in today_?"

Ignoring the message, she threw her phone back into her pocket and continued to walk through the Plaza. The DCPD was only about a 15-minute walk away. Lily looked up at the sky, it was blue and warm, unlike the constant rain of the day before. If it wasn't for the huge puddles glistening in the morning sunlight, one would've never guessed that the day before had been so horrid.

Suddenly, Lily found herself outside the huge CyberLife store in the district. It towered like a big blue beacon above the rest of the city skyline. She could easily see inside, hundreds of androids, all of different models were lined up on display in clear glass cases.

It made Lily shudder, they looked _trapped_.

She knew that it wasn't right for people to be shown like products, whether they had red or blue blood, they were all alive and all had feelings. The lieutenant suddenly remembered; she had been standing here, in the same place at the same time just 24 hours before.

XXX

It was just an average day. Lily was on morning patrol throughout the Greektown District; she was taking the place of another DCPD member who was assigned to help show one of the new junior officers the ropes. Lily didn't mind explaining things to a newbie, especially when the newbie offered to grab them both coffee.

"How do you take it?", the new guy, Harry, asked. He was pretty quiet mostly, and whenever he actually spoke he was always very nervous and unsure of himself. Lily felt a bit bad for him, she didn't know what he would do if he had to stop a fight or participate in a confrontation between a burly criminal.

"A milky mocha, thanks Harry", she described her drink to him politely as he walked to the St. Clair Café across the plaza. Standing by herself for a moment, Lily only had a few seconds before she began to hear shouting and taunting across the square.

Markus had successfully picked up Carl's order from Bellini Paints, all he had to do now was take the bus back home, it should've been as simple as that. However, the "easiness" of the situation decreased by 65% when he accidentally passed by a group of anti-android protestors; they were standing right by the bus stop, making it nearly _impossible_ for him to get there without running into the angry group.

"Where the fuck _you_ going, tin-can?", the leader of the group stepped out in front of Markus. He tried to quickly side-step the man, but soon found his way of escape blocked. "Hey guys, check it out", he called over to his group of protestors, "We got one of those _tin-cans_ here".

Markus quickly found himself surrounded. The leader was standing so close to him that he could see every hair in the man's beard. Suddenly, Markus was shoved to the ground, Carl's parcel dropped to the floor and stamped on by one of the people in the crowd.

"Look at this little motherfucker", a vulgar-looking woman with straight-brown hair spat at him. "You steal our jobs but you can't even _stand up_". As Markus tried to get back on his feet, someone else slammed him back into the floor, and the crowd began to mock and torment him.

He didn't know what to do; Markus was aware his programming restricted him so that he couldn't harm a human in any way, yet he began to feel anger rise up in his chest.

"_How dare they disrespect Carl's property like this_", he thought through clenched teeth while staring at the squashed paint package from Bellini's shop. Markus' thoughts were interrupted as he was grabbed by the neck, and the leader continued to humiliate him.

"You ain't going anywhere, we're gonna fuck your _bitch_ ass up"

Lily quickened her pace, getting closer to what looked like a group of people attacking someone on the ground. As she neared the fight, she could hear bits of what the people were shouting cruelly to the victim.

"Yeah! Grab him! Get him down!"

"Get that freak! Take that!"

"Now you know that that feels like!"

"Go on! _Waste_ him!"

"Show that tin-can some respect!"

Finally managing to reach the group, Lily saw what was going on. A violent group of anti-android protestors were beating up an android on the ground. The group were positioned directly outside the plaza's huge CyberLife store; it was obvious that they were waiting for some poor android to walk by, and it seemed that one unfortunate robot _had_.

She saw what looked like the ringleader of the protestors kicking the synthetic person on the ground in the chest, making it gasp and writhe on the floor. The attacker (some hipster looking guy with tattoos covering his neck, a brown beard, pierced ears and a ponytail) now grabbed the android by the scruff of his collar. Lily wasn't going to wait any longer.

"Alright, that's enough", she pushed her way through the crowd, holding up her DCPD badge, showing the group she was a Lieutenant. The leader still held on to the male android, unaware of her.

"That's _enough_", Lily demanded. The leader turned to her, and both suddenly recognised each other.

"_Elliot_?"

"Lily?"

It was Gavin's younger brother.

She had met him before at the DCPD's Christmas Party last year, as Elliot had tagged along with Gavin and the Detective had introduced his family member to the lieutenant. Lily had only ever spoken to him once before, and all she could really remark was that Elliot and Gavin were both very similar.

For better _or_ worse.

"What are you doing here?", he asked, suddenly charming. Lily wasn't swayed.

"Just on patrol, doing my job", she spoke in a chill voice, glancing at the poor android who was now looking at her curiously as well. "Put him down, Elliot", Lily told him, crossing her arms. "Leave him alone".

"Why would I do that?", he grinned as if it was all some sort of childish game.

"If you damage him, I'm gonna have to fine you", she stood her ground with no hesitation, although she doubted Elliot would care much about the legal punishments for attacking an android.

"Let me teach this bastard a lesson", the younger Reed brother turned back to the android, who was still looking at the Lieutenant Dover. "You've already got a front row seat"

"What's going on, Lieutenant?", Harry appeared with a cup of coffee in either hand.

"This gentleman here was just about to leave this android alone, weren't you, Elliot?", she turned back to him. He shrugged his shoulders.

"If that's what the lady wants", he let go of the male android, who fell to the ground, much to the disappointment of the crowd. "But be careful, Lily. Cause he'll have _your_ job next", Elliot angrily pointed to the robot on the pavement.

"C'mon guys", he signalled for his protestors to follow him, as he skulked away. Lily turned her attention to the android, not noticing Harry shyly holding out her coffee to her, as she reached out her hand to the synthetic man on the ground.

"What's your name?", she asked. The android looked her up and down curiously before letting her pull him up off the floor.

"Markus", he replied, reaching for Carl's order. The box was battered, but after a look inside it assured that none of the paint pots were broken or leaking.

"Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine, thank you for stepping in, ma'am", he said politely.

"Bellini Paints"

"Pardon?"

"Your art supplies, I get mine from the same shop", she smiled at the android, nodding to his package. "Be careful in the future, Markus", Lily said goodbye to him, as she and Harry headed back to their police vehicle on the other side of the square.

XXX

"Hello Amanda", Connor spoke to the woman who was turned away from him.

The zen garden was beautiful, in the full bloom of spring. The garden seemed ethereal, apart from the rest of the world which was suffering in the current cold of November. Amanda was wearing white and green robes, matching the spring day perfectly. The woman turned to face Connor, holding up one of the red roses she tended to every day.

"Connor, it's good to see you", she smiled at him softly. The android returned the action. "Congratulations, Connor. Finding that deviant was far from easy; the way you interrogated it was very clever, provoking a reaction but still allowing it to trust you", Amanda turned back to him.

"You've been remarkably efficient, Connor". He straightened up proudly from the compliment, happy to be of assistance to Amanda in any way.

"Thank you", he said in polite gratitude.

"We've asked the DCPD to transfer the deviant to CyberLife; for further study _of_ _course_", she explained.

"Of course", Connor agreed without hesitation.

"The interrogation seemed… challenging. What did you think of the deviant?", Amanda asked Connor, spraying water over the roses.

"It showed signs of PTSD after being abused by its owner, as if it's original program had been completely replaced by new instructions"

"Your new partners", Amanda changed subjects, and looked directly at Connor. "The three of you have all been assigned to the deviancy case; what did you think of them? Lt. Anderson, for example?"

"I think he's irritable, and socially challenged", he explained; Amanda listened but turned back to her flowers. "But I also think he used to be a good detective. He's an intriguing character"

"And the young Lt. Dover?", Amanda implored, sucking in her breath as she waited for an answer.

"Lieutenant Dover appears to be very dedicated to her job. She also seems to be intelligent, resourceful and optimistic"

"She is also the first human I have ever met to care about androids; it's like her kindness knows no bounds", Connor added. Amanda twitched a little at his words, her back to him.

"Unfortunately, we have no choice but to work with them. I understand that Dover is easier to get along with than Anderson, what do you think is the best approach?", she asked professionally.

"I will try to establish a friendly relationship with both Lieutenants. If I can get them to trust me, it will be beneficial for the investigation", Connor explained, but he sensed something was wrong. Amanda didn't appear to be too pleased with his answer.

"More and more androids show signs of deviancy. There are _millions_ in circulation", she told him a little coldly. "If they become unstable, the consequences will be _disastrous_". Amanda turned to Connor, walking towards him.

"You're the most advanced prototype CyberLife has ever created", she said with a sudden smile. "If anyone can figure out what is happening, it's you"

"You can count on me, Amanda", he bowed in respect. She walked to the frosted glass bridge, the only thing that connected the small island of land to the rest of the garden.

"Hurry, Connor. There's little time"

XXX

Lily came out of her flashback, trying to figure out where she was. She had been walking for quite some time, deep in thought, but one look up to the building in front of her told the lieutenant that she had, luckily, subconsciously walked to the place she needed to be.

She entered the busy building, ascending the marble steps out the front and walking into the reception. The huge logo on the floor read:

_Detroit City Police Department  
Central Station  
Michigan_

Lieutenant Dover recalled the first time she had entered the building, it was her and Madison's first day in the department. _Good times_. Lily walked past the waiting area's clean white benches, using her DPCD card to unlock the staff gate, allowing her back into the HQ's main office.

It was a vast room with very large windows, filled with dozens of sleek, modern white desks and computer terminals. Holographic screens lined the walls displaying everything from

As she passed by the waiting area's TV, she caught a bit of the 10am news report:  
"_Tensions in the artic have reached a new level, with a Russian Carrier and an American Patrol boat reported to have clashed last night. Several warning shots were exchanged, but apparently with no damage or casualties to either side_"

"_And the morning news is as joyful as ever_", she grinned to herself, walking past the pretty female android workers at reception.

"Morning Lily!", Chris and a few other DCPD officers greeted her as she entered the department, for which she smiled back in response. Scanning the room as she walked to her desk, Lily couldn't at first find Madison; her pretty blonde best-friend was nowhere in sight.

Shrugging it off and assuming Madison was still on duty, Lily sat down at her desk and began to log in to her computer terminal, the keyboard being built-in to her actual glass desktop. She liked her little quiet corner of the department, having already personalised it with a small collection of cute, colourful pens, pencils and other stationary, a hidden stack of magazines she kept in a drawer, a miniature cherry blossom tree in a teeny pot, a snow-globe from a trip to Detroit City Zoo, and a pinboard which kept all her favourite pictures.

Lily skimmed through the pinboard as her computer loaded up shortly, relishing in the memories of each. Some where of family holidays, many were of Madison, herself and other friends from High School, as well as tribute photos of her cats. Photography was one of her talents and her favourite hobby, Lily loved to take pictures of things that she found interesting or confusing, and sometimes when she was at work on patrol, she would find something mundane to appear extra-ordinary, be it some street graffiti or some coins in a city fountain.

As the lieutenant examined her pictures more closely, she saw a photograph that she hadn't focussed on for a long time. It was a family holiday in Paris, but there was only one face in the shot that Lily properly looked at…

A hand being brought down on the desk woke Lily up, as she looked towards the person who was trying to get her attention, she (internally) rolled her eyes.

"Hi, Lil", Gavin said. He seemed a lot more reserved and politer than yesterday, which she still could remember in _explicit_ detail.

"Morning Gavin, what is it?", she tried to say politely.

"I just wanted to say… I'm sorry for the way I acted yesterday. I was totally out of order and I'm worried that… I might've really upset you", he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well, you did seem a little bit… _odd_", she said, holding in her breath, unsure of how the Detective would react.

"I just wanted to ask if you can forgive me? I'll even buy you coffee as an apology", he smoothed back his hair.

"I-I'm kinda busy right now, maybe another time?", Lily tried to find an excuse.

"Really?", he asked, straightening up. "Cause no offence but, you were sort of spacing out for five minutes". Lily felt her face go red. "I understand if you don't _want_ to talk to me, though", he put on a sad face.

"I… alright", Lily relented. She didn't know where Madison was, but she prayed silently that her BFF wouldn't be too disappointed.

"Great", Gavin smiled, becoming smooth and charming again as he usually was, as Lily left the comfort of her desk and headed to the breaker room with the Detective, slightly regretting her words.

XXX

Connor entered the DCPD, immediately heading to the department's reception. His directive told him to find Lily and/or Hank so he could begin working on the Deviant cases.

"Can I help you?", a very pretty, brown-haired female android with freckles spoke to Connor politely. The name "Amelia" was on her identification badge.

"I'm here to see the Lieutenants Anderson and Dover", he explained in his official voice.

"Do you have authorisation?". The two androids connected electronically via their LED's, which both turned yellow momentarily. Connor's model being the most advanced CyberLife had ever created gave him certain privileges that helped him gain access to many resources to allow him to complete his mission quicker and more efficient.

"Lt Anderson hasn't arrived yet, but Lt Dover should be at her desk now, I'm sure she would be happy to get a visit", the android receptionist, Amelia, smiled at him; nodding to the staff gate on the other side of the DCPD's entrance.

Connor walked through the glass staff door, into the police department's busy office. DCPD officers marched about left, right and centre; taking calls, exchanging papers, discussing case files, with the android police units standing on the back-wall recharging, out of the way. He approached one such female android, a PM-700.

"I'm looking for Lieutenant Dover's desk"

"It's that one right there", the android smiled, gesturing to one of the many desks that littered the room. Connor made his way to it, finding no Lieutenant Dover in sight. He took the liberty of scanning the entire work-area that belonged to Lily, analysing her office supplies, chair, jacket, potted plant and pinboard. It was the last item that he took the most interest, as the RK-800 carefully looked at a picture of an 18-year-old Lily with another DCPD officer, (whose name he found was Madison Brookes via his scanner) and some other young adults.

The whole group of youths appeared to be in a dance club of sorts, all having their arms linked with each other. Connor analysed the faces of each, finding that the one factor every one of them had in common was that apart from Officer Brookes, all went to the same High-School.

Connor smiled, looking at the happy faces before him, so optimistic and full of life. He knew being caught snooping could have consequential effects on his relationship with Lily, so the RK-800 turned away and instead moved along the office to find Lieutenant Anderson's desk.

_*Software Instability: Corrupted Drive at 35%_*

It wasn't difficult to discover; Hank's work area was incredibly messy but fortunately close by to Lily's.

"Excuse me", Connor asked a DCPD officer who was at a nearby terminal. "Do you know what time Lieutenant Anderson usually arrives?"

"Depends on where he was the night before", the guy smirked. "If we're lucky, we'll see him before noon", he turned back to his computer.

"Thanks", Connor told the man before also scanning Hank's desk, finding traces of dog fur similar to the cat hairs on Lily's chair. The android didn't find it hard to believe that Hank was a dog person.

He listened to Hank's favourite Heavy-Metal band on a pair of headphones, as well as examining the other contents of the man's desk: a box of donuts, a mug with stains of cold coffee, a pinboard similar to Lily's but they held anti-android slogans instead, a Detroit basketball cap, a Japanese maple plant which seriously needed watering, and a picture of the Red Ice task force team of 2027 which Hank had been a part of.

Something out of the ordinary was found in Hank's desk drawer, a set of crayons for a child; it confused the RK-800 as to why the lieutenant would have a kid's stationary at his desk, but he didn't think about it for long, it wasn't relevant to the investigation.

"Call Hank Anderson", Connor pressed the call button on the phone on the desk.

"_Hi, this is Hank, I'm not here at the moment. You can leave a message if that's what turns you on but don't expect me to call you back_", Hank's voice echoed from the phone's speaker. "**_Beep_**_. Whatever_". Connor smiled to himself at the Lieutenant's dry humour.

"Lieutenant Anderson? This is Connor, I'm the android sent by CyberLife. It's almost noon and I'm waiting for you at the office", he left his self-explanatory message.

"_Now, time to find Lieutenant Dover_", Connor thought as he began to explore the DCPD office. Although he left a call for Hank, it seemed apparent the Lieutenant wouldn't hear it in

XXX

Lily sat at one the tables in the break room, it was a place where the DCPD officers went for their short chats whenever they had a few spare minutes. Luckily enough for Lily, there was only her and Gavin in the room, as the increased amount of work (due to the growing size of anti-android protests that were becoming more frequent and violent) kept almost the entire department on their toes at all times.

She felt pretty bad, having just arrived at work and already taking a 'break' of sorts, although as Gavin reminded her, she was supposed to be off work today anyway so it wasn't like she had to be here.

In truth, Lily just wanted to see Connor again, the android both fascinated and thrilled her. She wanted to get to know him better.

Her attention refocussed on Gavin as he walked to their small table with a cup of coffee in either hand. He handed one to Lily with a smile.

"A mocha with milk, just as my lady has it", he grinned playfully.

"You're a mind-reader as well as a Detective?", she took it from him with gratitude.

"I try my best, it's all part of the profession. So, how have you been?", Gavin settled himself on the stool next to her. "I didn't get to talk to you much last night"

"Just doing my job, staying out of trouble mostly. I saw your brother yesterday, by the way", Lily took a sip of her coffee, relishing the taste. It was an added boost that helped her get through her day, although she wasn't too keen on it's dark, bitter flavour so she masked it with chocolate and cream.

"I haven't talked to him for a while", the detective shrugged. It was then that both cops listened in to the morning news report by CTN-TV, which was talking about the DCPD:

"_Several sources report that CyberLife has provided the Detroit Police Force with a prototype detective android to assist investigations_", the male news reporter read from his sheet.

"_Connor_", was the name that went through both officers' heads.

"_Although police assistant androids have existed for several years now, this would be the first came of an android being authorized to play an active role in criminal investigations_"

The conversation moved, quickly and uncomfortably, to the subject of androids (due to the news report). Lily squirmed in her seat as Gavin proceeded to vent about the blue-blooded robots in great detail.

"Just because they look like us doesn't mean they're our equals. _Humans_ made these robots, so they should learn to respect us, but here we get these fucking deviants assaulting, _killing_ people, like that one last night. It's fucking unbelievable at how this shit is happening, don't you agree?", Gavin eventually paused for breath, taking a swig of his beverage. He had been talking so quickly and fervently he had run out of breath. Lily sat awkwardly on her stool.

"Well… I think it's definitely bad that people are being killed-"

"_Shit_", Gavin interrupted, nearly spilling his coffee cup over at the sight of the person who had just entered the break room. Lily followed his stare.

"_Oh **god**… it's Connor_"

Her focus quickly snapped back to her beverage, hoping that somehow the RK-800 wouldn't get noticed. Eyes downcast, Lily turned pink, praying silently that all would pass without an incident like last night.

The android had his back to the pair, oblivious to the drama that was about to unfold.

"Fuck, look at _that_", Gavin mocked, nudging Lily to get her attention. "Our friend the plastic detective is back in town; we were _just_ talking about you", Lily felt her face go _pinker_ in embarrassment as Gavin took a confident gulp of his drink. Connor was standing still, obviously understanding every word, but not turning around.

"Congratulations on last night, _very_ impressive!", he sarcastically clapped. "We could've got something else outta that android if you hadn't gotten in the way and _fucked_ everything up".

Connor slowly turned around at the sound of Gavin's voice. The android felt his robotic heart stop momentarily when he saw _Lily_ was with the office loud-mouth; were they on a _date_?

He didn't look at Gavin who was making fun of him, Connor only watched the young woman, seeing her blush told him she wasn't participating in, or agreeing with, her (supposed) boyfriend's mockery. He took in everything about Lily: those soft grey eyes, her billowing, long hair the colour of chocolate, the stylish white blouse that caught her figure perfectly…

"Hello, Detective Reed", he said in his official, programmed voice. "_Good mornin_g, Lieutenant Dover", the android turned his attention back to her.

Lily went an even brighter shade of pink, as Gavin noticed up the soft, caring tone Connor had used specially for her. The detective drummed his fingers on the break room table he had been sitting at with Lily, as he arrogantly strutted over to Connor, facing the android squarely. _He_ felt embarrassed due to the fact that he had to look _up_ to meet Connor's eyes.

"Never seen an android like you before", Gavin said sourly, his eyes flickering up and down Connor like a snake's; trying to intimidate him. "What model are you?". Lily gulped; Gavin was clearly making fun of the android, Connor's model was _displayed_ on the front of his grey jacket.

"RK-800", Connor replied, before looking past Gavin uninterestedly and focussing on Lily. "I'm a _prototype_", he said to her somewhat proudly. She felt her insides go warm at his gaze, as everything around the two people faded away, it was all unimportant to them…

"Ooh, a _prototype_", Gavin sneered, getting no reaction. He noticed that the android was paying him no attention, Connor was staring _directly_ at Lily. Gavin stepped in-between the two, breaking their line of sight.

"A _prototype_?", Gavin repeated mockingly. He turned around to face Lily and pointed to Connor. "Android Detective", he joked.

"So machines are gonna replace us all, is that it?". Connor just blinked at the question, unfazed.

"Gavin…", Lily tried to intervene, but the detective was having too much fun trying to torment the RK-800.

"Hey, bring me a coffee, dipshit!", he ordered. Connor made no sign of complying, he just stared blankly at the Detective. "_Get a move on_!", Gavin roared, face to face with the android.

"I'm sorry, but I only take orders from the Lieutenants Anderson or Dover", he explained clearly.

"Oh, is that so?". Connor nodded at the detective, then looking at Lily and doing the same as if to say "_It's true_".

Gavin brought all attention back on himself when he suddenly slammed his clenched fist into the android's abdomen. Lily watched, wide-eyed, as Connor slumped to the ground, clutching at his body.

"_GAVIN_!? What the_ hell_!?", she cried, rushing out of her seat without hesitation to Connor's side.

"When a human gives you an order, you _obey_!", Gavin spat at his victim on the ground. "Man, if Lily hadn't been at the interrogation yesterday, I would've _fucked you up_ for disobeying a human"

"You can't just _attack_ people like that, Gavin!", Lily stood up to him, squarely staring at him face to face despite her having to look up a lot to meet his eyes. "You're out of _order_"

"He's not a _person_, Lily. He's just a fucking piece of _plastic_. I'm only showing him how he should respect us", he retaliated maliciously. Connor silently glared up at the detective, clearly agitated.

_*Software Instability: Corrupted Drive at 40%_*

"Stay out of my way, and stay out of _her_ way, if you know what's good for you", Gavin pointed to Lily possessively as he glared at Connor. "Cause next time, you won't have _anyone_ to fight for you, and you won't get off so easy", he cruelly poked Connor's LED, making the android turn his head and look at the ground in shame.

"Come on, Lil", Gavin said as he began to walk out of the break room. Finding he was alone, he turned around to look back. "Lily, _come_ _on_"

"Are you alright, Connor?", she asked the android, glaring at Gavin all the while. The detective clenched his teeth in aggravation and jealousy, walking off without a word, leaving Connor and Lily alone in the break room. The lieutenant helped her android partner up off the floor, which was a little bit difficult as Connor was nearly twice her size.

"Thank you for your assistance, Lieutenant", he said with polite gratitude, as Lily brushed the dirt off his jacket. "But I would prefer in future for you to refrain from challenging Detective Reed; he may turn his anger on you", he straightened his tie professionally, but all the while staring at Lily in concern with his big brown eyes.

"It's no problem, Connor, really", she reassured him. "Is your blinker damaged?"

"I beg your pardon?", he stared in wide eyes, having no clue what she was talking about. Lily pointed to his LED. "You mean my _processing unit_?"

"I didn't know what it was called", Lily blushed a little. Connor smiled, deciding that '_blinker_' was a good nickname for his LED.

"I don't get what Gavin's deal is lately, I know _why_ he hates androids but I don't understand why he's picking on _you_, specifically", she continued. Connor didn't say anything, his gaze only focussing intently on Lily as she absentmindedly drained the last of her coffee.

"Well, I doubt it matters much now. I just hope he doesn't give you anymore grief in the future", she smiled, playfully punching him on the shoulder. Connor flinched slightly.

"I'm sorry, did that hurt?", she asked worriedly.

"No, not at all", he said quickly. "Just, no one has ever willingly… touched me like that before". Lily didn't bother questioning whether Connor was lying or not, his eyes spoke nothing but honesty. The two gazed at each other for a few seconds, both moving closer together… until suddenly Lily spotted Hank skulking in to the department.

"Oh, Hank's here", she pointed past Connor, embarrassed at the unexpected, intimate moment and eager to get away quickly. The android followed her as always, as both walked across the office to speak to Lieutenant Anderson.

"Morning Hank", Lily chirped, sitting on top of his desk.

"God, how can you be so _plucky_ in the morning?", Hank rubbed his forehead, taking a seat at his desk.

"It's good to see you again, Lieutenant", Connor greeted the hungover DCPD lieutenant.

"Ugh, Jesus. You're still here too, huh?", Hank shook his head at the android. He was already having a major-headache without the android.

"Hank! Lily! In my office, _now_", Captain Fowler's voice boomed across the department.

"_Double-Jesus_", Hank grumbled as he got back out of his chair. "What have I done now?"

"Well, it's probably more like what you _haven't_ done", Lily teased. "Come on, Connor", she called to the android. All three ascended the steps, as Connor held the Captain's office door open for them.

"Thank you", Lily smiled at the android as she walked past, sitting down with Hank in front of the Captain Fowler. The RK-800 stood behind them, hands behind his back, observing the scene.

"I've got 10 new cases involving androids every day. We've always had isolated incidents, old ladies losing their android maids and that kind of _crap_", Fowler began. Lily and Hank exchanged looks.

"But now, we're getting reports of assaults and even _homicides_, like that guy last night. This isn't just CyberLife's problem anymore; it's now a criminal investigation and we've gotta deal with it _before_ the shit hits the fan", the Captain turned from his computer screen to Lily and Hank. "I want you both to investigate these cases and see if there's any links, any _connection_ between them"

"Why us?", Hank immediately demanded. Lily put her head in her hands, there was no way he was going to take this assignment lightly.

"Why do I gotta be the one to deal with this shit?", he complained. "I am the least qualified cop in the country to handle this case. I know jack shit about androids, Jeffrey! I can barely change the settings on my own phone".

"Everybody's overloaded!", Fowler argued. "I know you're perfectly qualified for this type of investigation"

"Bullshit!", Hank stood up angrily. "The truth is nobody wants to investigate these fuckin' android, and you've left us holding the bag!", he angrily pointed to himself and Lily.

"There is no discussion over this Hank! Besides, Lieutenant Dover is obviously going with you, she'll be very helpful, I'm sure. CyberLife also sent over this android to help with the investigation", Fowler gestured to Connor, who nodded with an adorable smile on his face. "It's a state-of-the-art prototype, it'll join you and act as your partner"

"_No fuckin' way_!", Hank roared. "I already have a partner, and I certainly don't need any help from _this_ plastic prick!", he angrily pointed behind his back at the RK-800.

"Hank, you are _seriously_ starting to piss me off! You are a Police _Lieutenant_, you are supposed to do what I say, and shut your goddamn mouth!", the Captain gestured angrily.

"You know what my '_goddamn mouth_' has to say to you, huh?", Hank crossed his arms.

"Ok, ok", Fowler held up his hand to silence Hank. "I'll pretend like I didn't hear that so I don't have to add any more pages to your disciplinary folder, 'cause it already looks like a fuckin' _novel_! This conversation is OVER!", he turned away from the furious Hank. The older lieutenant wasn't taking that as an answer however, and slammed his hands on the Captain's desk, regaining his attention.

"Jeffrey, _Jesus Christ_!", he rolled his eyes agitatedly. "Why you doin' this to me? You know how much I _hate_ these fuckin' things", Hank gestured to Connor who said nothing in his own defence. "Why're you doing this to me?"

"Listen, I've had just about enough of your _bitching_. Either you do your job, or you hand in your badge, is that clear?", Fowler stated. "Now if you'll _excuse_ me, we've all got _work_ to do".

Hank slammed his fist on the desk in anger, stomping to the office door and barging past Connor in the process as he let out a yell of frustration. Lily awkwardly sat in her chair.

"Um, boss…?", she tried to get his attention.

"Yes, Lieutenant Dover, you can go now", the Captain gestured to the door without looking up from his computer.

"No, it's not about that. I just thought that… with all due respect, don't you think you're being a bit… _unfair_ to Hank?", Fowler looked up at her from his desk. "I just mean, after everything that's happened"

"I can assure you, Lieutenant, I didn't assign both of you on the case just to try and get under his skin", he explained. Lily let out a sigh of relief. "We are _seriously_ struggling right now; these fucking androids are stirring up the whole city, crime has gone through the roof in only a couple of days!", the Captain looked over Lily's shoulder to Connor, who gave him a cute little wave. Eyeing up and down the android in suspicion, he turned back to Lily.

"Thank you, Captain. We'll try our best", she said as she got up out of her seat.

"One more thing, Lieutenant Dover", Lily turned back to face Fowler.

"Well done for figuring out that Ortiz had a weapons stash, it was smart thinking. I knew I made the right decision when I promoted you", he smiled.

"Thank you, sir", she politely excused herself as she walked after Hank. Now it was Connor who was left alone, but he was being paid no attention to.

"I'm honoured to be working with-"

"Close the door on your way out", Fowler interrupted him, not even looking up.

"Have a nice day, Captain", Connor said politely before leaving the office. Descending the stairs, he headed over to Hank's desk. Lily was trying to console the lieutenant but with little success.

"I'll get you some coffee, Hank", Lily said as she got up, heading to the break room. As she passed by Connor, she whispered into his ear, "_Don't worry about Hank, he'll come around. Just, try not to deliberately annoy him, if that's any help_". The android was left to try and reconcile with the grumpy lieutenant.

"I understand that my presence causes you some inconvenience, Lieutenant. I'd like you to know I'm very sorry about that", he said sincerely. Hank didn't look up at him, he just sat in his chair with his arms crossed.

"In any case, I'd like you to know I'm very happy to be working with you _and_ Miss Dover. I'm sure we'll make a great team". Hank still hadn't responded. "Is there a desk, anywhere that I can use?", he asked politely.

"Nobody's usin' that one", came the gruff dismissal as the lieutenant pointed to the desk opposite himself. Connor moved to the desk and sat down, taking in the feel of his own chair. He felt almost _important_, as if he was a DCPD officer just like the rest of the department. The android understood why Lily and Hank loved their seating areas so much.

The named Lieutenant appeared, handing Hank an espresso from the break room's machine. She pulled out a portable holographic tablet, one that was standard DCPD use as she skimmed through it. Connor decided to try and initiate a conversation between himself and his new partners, in order to break any tension.

"A lot of people don't appreciate having androids around", he began, relating to the anti-android slogans Hank kept on his desk. "I was wondering… is there any reason in particular that you despise me, Lieutenant Anderson?". Lily looked up, sensing the delicate topic.

"Yeah… there is one", Hank muttered sourly.

"Care to explain?" Connor implored, giving Hank an innocent look. The lieutenant said nothing, continuing to ignore Connor by intently staring at his computer screen as if it had suddenly become extremely fascinating.

"Do you listen to Knights of the Black Death?", he changed subjects. "I really like that music, it's full of… energy"

"You listen to Heavy Metal?", Lily looked at the android questioningly, a smile upon her face.

How he _loved_ it when she smiled.

"Well, I don't really listen to music as such, but I'd like to", he said in earnest. Lily jokingly nudged Hank who said nothing.

"You have a dog, right? And Lieutenant Dover, you have two cats?"

"How do you know that?", both said in unison.

"The traces of animal fur on both of your chairs", he explained. Lily sidled up to Connor, showing him a picture of her two pets on her smartphone as they chatted happily to each other. "What's your dog's name?", Connor asked Hank, trying to include him into the conversation.

"What's it to you?", he responded aggressively.

"Connor was only asking", Lily said defensively. Hank grunted and turned away. "He calls his dog-"

"Sumo", Hank cut Lily off, eyeing her. "I call him Sumo". Connor smiled, but Hank didn't look impressed. Lily returned to her own desk to view the files on her own computer, leaving Hank and Connor.

"If you have any case files on deviants, I'd like to take a look at them", the android decided it was a time to begin working.

"Terminal's on your desk", Hank indicated to the computer, as if Connor was an idiot for not understanding. "Knock yourself out", he said sarcastically. The RK-800 nodded his head politely, as he connected to the DCPD server and began to scan all the known cases on deviants.

"243 files, the first date back nine months, all starting in Detroit, but quickly spreading throughout the country". Hank rested his head in his hands, in no attempt hiding the fact that he was bored. "An AX-400 is reported to have assaulted a man last night, that could be a good starting point for our investigation", Connor stated, but Hank was obviously uninterested.

Getting up out of his seat, the android marched over to Hank, who turned away, ignoring him and pretending to stare at his DCPD tablet instead.

"I understand you're facing personal issues, Lieutenant, but you need to move past them and-"

"Hey! Don't talk to me like you know me. I'm not your buddy, I'm not your partner-"

"But Captain Fowler said-"

"I don't give a shit about Jeffrey's orders, you know where he can stick them?", Hank glared at the android.

"No, where?", Connor asked innocently.

"Never mind", Hank grumbled before getting back to the point. "I'm not your friend and I don't need your advice, okay?", he snapped. Connor decided that reasoning hadn't worked.

"Listen, Lieutenant", he stood over Hank. "I've been assigned this mission, and I didn't come here to wait until _you_ feel like working"

XXX

Lily scanned through the files on her computer, finding the most recent case. Deciding to go report back to Hank, she grabbed her hooded jacket after pinning her hair up in a bun and turning off her desk terminal. As she made her way back through the office, Lily saw Hank grab Connor by the collar and slam him into the case-board at the side of his desk. She rolled her eyes, it was gonna be a _long_ day.

"Listen _asshole_, if it was up to me I'd throw the lot of you in a dumpster and set a match to it. So stop pissing me off!", he roared angrily. Connor only stared blankly at him, clearly not threatened in the slightest.

Lily felt a wave of concern over Connor, even if it was just only Hank who was threatening him (and she knew Hank was as dangerous as a teddy bear), but still the worry she felt didn't subside as she approached them.

"Jeez, put him down, Hank", she said as one of their co-workers, Chris, appeared.

"Excuse me, Lieutenants?", all three people turned to him, Hank still holding Connor. "Uh, sorry to disturb you, but I have some information on the AX-400 that attacked the guy last night in Corktown. It's been seen in the Ravendale District".

"We're on it", Hank said, finally releasing the android.

"Thanks Chris", Lily said gratefully as the officer smiled at her before returning back to his work. "God, I leave you two alone for _30 seconds_ and you're already at each other's throats", she crossed her arms but both Hank and Connor knew she wasn't actually angry.

"Well, it appears we have a case", Hank gruffly responded, as he proceeded to walk to the exit.

"You all right?", Lily asked Connor. He nodded and gave her a small smile of appreciation, as the two followed after Hank.

XXX

"So the investigation begins…", Amanda said, smiling to herself.


	8. Chapter 8: Ravendale

_10:25am_

Kara waited for Alice to finish bathing and getting dressed in the Motel's bathroom. Trying to keep herself occupied, she turned on the TV, switching from the kids cartoon Alice had been watching and across the other channels until she found…. a picture of _herself_ on the news station.

"Thanks Michael", the presenter said. "I'm joined today by Corktown resident _Todd Williams_ who was violently attacked by his AX400 around 11pm last night. Todd, can you tell us what happened?"

Kara stared in shock as she watched the news report which claimed that the Detroit Police Force were _searching_ for her!

"I was having dinner, I was minding my own business... damn thing jumped on me", Todd's voice came from the TV as he _lied_ about the events of yesterday evening. "I managed to defend myself, but it went crazy…I thought it was gonna kill me, but luckily it ran away", he continued, putting on the voice of a traumatised victim.

"Thank you, Todd. This incident brings disturbing news for android owners everywhere, police have launched an investigative search to find the rogue android-", Kara quickly turned off the TV, unable to hear anymore. The only thing that could be deemed as lucky, was that there was no mention of Alice on the news, so luckily, they'd both be a little bit better at staying inconspicuous.

Alice emerged from the bathroom fully dressed.

"It's not true! He's lying! He's the one who tried to hurt _us_!", she cried, obviously having heard the TV report. "What are we gonna do, Kara?", she ran into the young woman's arms, as the two shared a comforting hug.

"That android yesterday, he gave me an address, said we could get help there", she explained to the little girl, as both agreed to head off to the location immediately. The sooner they moved the better. While Alice put on her shoes, Kara pulled back the curtain to the motel room.

She had no sooner done this, before instantly regretting the action. Out in the rain, there were many police cars, and two were pulled into the Motel's car park. Kara saw three people walk into the reception, one was a grey-haired slightly overweight man, the other was a young male android that she had never seen before, and the third…

Kara gasped in horror, seeing _Lily_ with them. Of course… she _did_ work at the DCPD, she had explicitly told them last night. The last thing Kara wanted was for the kind girl who helped herself and Alice last night to be the one to arrest and catch them.

"Alice, we need to leave now!", Kara grabbed the raincoat and beanie she'd reluctantly taken from the Laundrette's last night and yanked them on. Alice had only just finished putting on her shoes when Kara had hurriedly taken her hand and practically ran to the motel room door.

"Kara, what's wrong-"

"_We need to go_ _NOW_!", she cried, as she and the young girl ran outside, and Kara locked the room's door, hoping it would slow down the police if they believed them to be inside. The pair then quickly dashed down the steps to hide.

XXX

The car ride was quiet, aside from the usual Heavy Metal CD that played on the stereo in Hank's car. Connor thought he understood why Hank put on the loud music; it stopped anyone from having to talk in the car. Nevertheless, he still tried to make conversation, after spotting a sports billboard which they passed.

"You're a Detroit Gears fan, right, Lieutenant Anderson?"

"What makes you say that?", Hank asked, already irritated.

"The basketball cap at your desk", he explained. "Do you like the sport, Miss Dover?". Lily turned to look at him from the front seat.

"Er, no. I wasn't ever really interested in basketball", she shrugged. "You can just call us Lily and Hank though, you know that, right?". Connor nodded, his robotic interior feeling warm and pleasant.

"Denton Carter scored 53% of his shots from the three-point line yesterday", the android recited some statistics from the "DetroitWeekly" sports magazine (which he had read while waiting for Hank earlier in the morning). "Did you see the game, Hank?", he asked politely, feeling proud that he was on a first name-basis with his new partners.

"That's what I was watching at the bar last night", Hank's usual sarcastic reply came from the driver's seat. Lily watched Connor, feeling her heart burst as the android let out the cutest "oh" she had ever heard anyone say.

Sadly, she didn't have much time to think about it, as the car stopped; indicating that they had arrived at the motel the deviant had last been seen at. Lily got out of the car and looked around; they were in Camden, in the Ravendale District. She had been here just last night, when she had shopped at the convenience store down the road and met that lovely woman and her daughter. Lily pulled up her hood due to the rain, as she examined the motel. It was the average, crappy cheap place anyone could get, but she remembered that she had pointed it out to Kara and Alice the night before.

She wondered if she would meet them this morning.

As the trio headed inside, they were met by a man at the motel reception. "Lieutenant Anderson, Detroit Police", Hank said as he held out his holographic badge. "We're looking for a female android, she was seen at a store down the road and stealing clothes from the local laundrette. You see anything?".

"An _android_? No, I don't take any damn androids here", the man behind the counter smirked, looking at directly Connor.

"Have you seen anyone that looks like this?", Connor held up a photo of the AX-400. Lily hadn't seen the picture, they had made their way to the trail so quickly she hadn't had time, but she recognised most android models so she initially didn't find this to be an issue. The guy behind the counter reluctantly checked the photo Connor held, before the sudden look of realisation hit him.

"Fuck… I knew there was something _weird_ about her", he said. "She came in last night; she was dressed normal you know? There was no way I could tell", the receptionist explained.

"Is it still here?", Hank asked, looking about the room.

"Yeah, probably. Room 28", the guy pointed to the block of motel rooms outside the reception windows.

"Thanks", Lily said politely as they went back outside. Hank immediately grabbed his radio, calling Detective Collins at the DCPD station.

"Ben? Yeah… it's still at the motel. Send some uniforms and cordon off the area, me and Lil are going up now", he told the detective. Putting down his radio, Hank immediately turned to Connor.

"You wait in the car", he demanded, as Lily pulled out her gun, checking the ammo.

"I think it's best if I go with you", Connor diplomatically tried to reason with the lieutenant.

"Listen", Hank snapped. "I'm tired of you _talkin' back_ to me. You're a machine, so shut the fuck up and do as I say"

"All I want is to accomplish my mission, I'm sorry if that upsets you", Connor said sarcastically as he crossed his arms. Lily smirked, the android was already copying Hank's stubborn nature.

"Let him come, Hank. He can help us", she walked over to the two of them.

"You wanna see the end of your mission? Stop bustin' my fucking balls", he snapped, poking Connor in the chest. "Come on, Lil".

As Connor was about to turn back to the Lieutenant, Lily nodded upwards to the hotel room, signalling that it was alright for him to accompany them both. After all, her and Hank had the same status, meaning that she was able to undermine him sometimes. The android followed her up to room 28, where Hank stood outside the motel room door, gun in hand. He gave the two of them sarcastic looks, but didn't say anything and instead put a finger to his lips. Lily pulled out her gun, as she and Hank stood outside the room.

She reached out and slowly opened the handle, as the three silently entered the motel room. Creeping around, they examined the place, checking the bathroom, under the beds, in the wardrobe, but nothing to be found. Hank rolled his eyes.

"Great, it's already gone", Hank sighed, putting away his gun.

"Let's still check to see if we can find any clues", Lily shrugged, holstering her own gun. Connor walked into the bathroom, finding locks of cut hair, a pair of scissors and a torn-off LED. He came back into the main room to show his findings.

"There is an LED and cut hair in the sink, as well as uneaten sandwiches in the bathroom bin", Connor explained.

"It must be a deviant", Hank examined the android's findings. "No human would waste perfectly good cheese and ham sandwiches like these".

Lily looked at the food wrappers, the feeling of dread starting to swirl in her stomach. She spotted something on the floor, so she crouched down by one of the beds, wide eyed. Lying next to the bed was a stuffed animal, an orange fox, and she was certain she had seen it before. Looking at the toy's label, she saw "RALPH" written in black ink.

It was _Alice's_ toy.

"Connor", she said suddenly with a worried tone as she called over the android. "What does the deviant look like again?". He held up his hand, showing the electronic picture which appeared on his palm.

"_Oh my god_", Lily's blood went cold.

How could she have been so _stupid_!? All the evidence matched up! She had even thought she _recognised_ Kara at the time. However, she wasn't worrying about how much this would probably cost her job _and_ her brand-new promotion, but that Kara and Alice were on the run, and they could be in serious danger! Lily thought it strange at how there was no mention of a little girl, only a rogue android, but she didn't have time to think about that now. Rushing to the motel door, Hank suddenly called out to her, making Lily stop in her tracks.

"Woah cowgirl, where's the stampede?"

"You know when we came here yesterday?", she explained as quickly as her mouth would let her talk. "Well I saw the AX-400 last night! It was at the store with a little girl, and-"

"Wait a minute, if you were in the store, why didn't you get identified on camera? We saw the deviant, but there wasn't any mention of you, or the deviant being with a kid!"

"I… guess I had my hood up or something, I don't know!", she rushed out the motel door and down the steps as her two partners followed her. "But that's not what's important now-", Lily cut off as she saw Connor walking to a corner of the car park, near a digital vending machine.

"Connor, we don't have time for snacks", Hank said as he rolled his eyes. The android bent down and picked something off the floor, he held it up, beckoning the lieutenants over to him.

"What's that?", Lily asked. It was some sort of white card.

"It's the key to room 28", Connor said, looking at the fire escape next to the vending machine. "The deviant came through here recently; I scanned the car park before we went up to it's room, and this wasn't here before".

Lily and Hank simultaneously understood as all three looked at the door to the motel's ground-floor fire escape. A noise came from inside. Hank pulled out his gun as Lily and Connor quickly snuck up to the door. As it was pulled open, the trio saw it was some very small room which contained cleaning equipment like mops and brooms, and the door which led to the outside street was swinging shut.

The deviant had _just_ left.

They all broke into a sprint, flying out into the street as they spotted a confused police officer at the other end of the road. Connor and Lily ran up to him first, with Hank not being able to keep him with their speed.

"Which way did they go?", Lily asked the DCPD officer quickly.

"That way - they're headed for the train station!", he pointed down the street. Taking off, Lily and Connor raced down the street, with the android managing to take the lead due to his size and stamina.

Lily was glad she had worn appropriate footwear; her brown ankle boots were useful as they didn't have high heels or any other difficult feature that made them hard to move in. She splashed through puddles passing lit-up shops, as she gave chase.

"Move! DETROIT POLICE!", she shouted at the top of her lungs, sending the scattered pedestrians to part, creating a clear path through the crowd. Unfortunately, one tubby man carrying his shopping didn't move in time. Lily tried to stop herself but the wet pavement only made her slide and slip about.

She closed her eyes and braced for impact as she slammed into the man, toppling over and landing hard on her rear end which hit the pavement. Connor stopped, skidded to a halt as he stared in her concern. He was about to run over to her and help before she called out to him.

"Don't worry about me! Go after them!", she shouted to the android. He reluctantly nodded and raced after the deviant. Hank ran after him as well as a several DCPD officers.

Lily shakily got up, checking to see if the man who had tripped her up was alright, before she managed to follow the trail. She looked over herself quickly, her ankle hurt but she could still run fine so she sprinted off again; hoping to catch Kara and Alice before they were in any harm.

XXX

Connor raced ahead, when he reached the end of the street near the train station, a police officer whistled to get his attention.

"They're over there!", he pointed down an alleyway between the shops and train station. Connor took off down the backstreet, spotting the deviant and the little girl climbing over the wire-mesh fence. He jumped over a discarded shopping trolley as well as other litter with incredible agility, finally reaching the end of the alley.

Connor saw the female AX-400 through the fence, she stared at him with scared eyes, as suddenly a DCPD officer appeared behind Connor, pointing his gun at the deviant.

"Don't shoot, we need it alive!", Connor told him. As soon as he took his eyes off the deviant, she ran, sliding down the muddy slope on the other side of the fence with the little girl she was with, as they both ran towards the highway.

Kara held onto Alice tight, as the frightened little girl held on to her guardian. Getting across the highway was their only chance of escaping the police; Kara was certain none would try to follow.

Hank finally caught up to Connor, as Detective Collins joined the group amongst many other members of the DCPD, all staring in awe as the situation unfolded.

"Jesus christ…", the detective swore, turning white.

"Oh fuck", Hank wheezed, out of breath from the chase. "That's insane"

"I can't look", a female officer covered her eyes. Connor began to climb the fence.

"Hey! Where you goin'?" Hank demanded, grabbing hold of the android's jacket.

"I can't let them get away", he insisted.

"They won't", Hank shook his head with solemn certainty. "They'll never make it to the other side"

"I can't take that chance", the android tried to climb up higher.

"HEY! You will get yourself killed!", Hank pulled the RK-800's jacket down, keeping him in the alley. "Do NOT go after 'em Connor, that's an _order_! And the same goes for all of you!", Hank pointed to the crowd of police officers.

XXX

As Lily raced down the alley, she saw the group of DCPD members, including Chris, Detective Collins as well as Hank and Connor. She was near enough to see what was on the other side of the fence; a highway. Lily felt her heart stop momentarily through fear.

She could tell Hank wasn't letting anyone give chase, judging by the way her partner held on to Connor's jacket, keeping him confined to the alley. Luckily, she wasn't _asking_ for Hank's permission. She wasn't going to let Kara and Alice die because no one else had the guts to go after them!

Speeding down the alley, Lily took the crowd by surprise (as none had noticed her approaching) as she free-ran, jumping up on some huge discarded crates in the backstreet giving her enough height to leap across the wire fence, shouting "_Dibs_!" as she flew past Hank.

"LILY!", she heard him roar her name as he grabbed at her jacket, letting go of Connor. Luckily, she slid out of her short, hooded coat allowing her to leap over the fence and out of his grasp.

"COME BACK! IT'S _SUICIDE_!", Hank screamed at the top of his lungs.

"But they'll die if I don't catch up to them!", she shouted back to the alleyway and everyone who watched from there. The lieutenant slid down the slippery mud slope on the other side of the fence, getting some mud on her jeans but _miraculously_, none on her white blouse.

The lieutenant raced at top speed over the side of the highway, right into the oncoming traffic that travelled across the wide road at furious mileage. She chased after the young woman and little girl, dodging, jumping and sliding over cars as they sped past her.

Connor didn't even wait a _second_ to go after her.

"CONNOR, _GODDAMIT_!", Hank shouted after the android who leapt over the fence.

_*Software Instability: Corrupted Drive at 43%_*

Reaching the middle part of the highway between the two lanes going in opposite directions, Lily had nearly caught up with the ones she was chasing. As the deviant tried to escape with the little girl, Kara got hit by a car. It was as the vehicle rushed past her quickly, pushing the female deviant forward and sending her to her knees, although she was luckily unhurt.

"Kara!", Alice cried as she ran towards her - in the direct path of a huge truck.

Lily felt the seconds blur, as she surged forward and grabbed the little girl, pulling her out of harms way by only a fraction of a second. Hank covered his eyes from the alleyway, unable to watch the terrifying scene.

"Alice!", Kara screamed, hurrying to her feet and rushing over to the lieutenant and little girl.

"Don't do this Kara! You'll both be _killed_!", Lily shouted above the incredibly loud roar of traffic around them.

"I'm sorry", Kara grabbed hold of Alice's hand, a tear rolling down her cheek. Lily was shoved backwards, the little girl torn away from her reach as she fell back into the road.

"LILY!", Connor shouted at the top of his lungs, he had just reached the middle area between the lanes as he surged forward to reach her. He felt his heart beating madly, his veins coursing with what was the android equivalent of adrenaline.

It was at this moment, he felt his first real emotion; _fear_

Connor was scared, terrified even, for Lily. He watched as time itself slowed down, stretching a single moment into what felt like a minute, as he saw Lily try to scramble off the highway as a huge, heavy-goods delivery vehicle from CyberLife came charging towards her.

Seeing her in danger frightened him more than any criminal or investigation ever could. Connor knew how fragile humans were, if he died he would be rebuilt, have his memories transferred and it would take an hour or so for the new Connor to continue where the old one had left off.

But if Lily died, she was gone for _good_.

He analysed the situation, calculating her speed, the CyberLife carrier's average speed and the current most likely outcome; it wasn't good.

"_No_!", he thought desperately. "_I can't let that happen! I have to save her_!", were the android's last thoughts as he dived towards the lieutenant.

_*Software Instability: Corrupted Drive at 49%_*


	9. Chapter 9: Recovery

_Black_

The whole world was filled with darkness, as she realised she couldn't see _anything_. The far-away noise of the present echoed around her, some shouts, crying, a police siren, and the screech of tyre's hitting their brakes.

"_Am I dead_?", she thought, as light began to fill her head.

"_Lily_!?"

Hank's face came to view, the man breathing out a sigh of relief.

"_Holy shit_!", he gasped, clutching at his chest. "You nearly gave me a _heart attack_, Lil! I thought you'd _died_!". Lily blearily looked around her, she was lying on something that was moving; her memories flooding back.

"Kara…", she mumbled incoherently.

"Hold on Lil, you're in shock, but you'll be just fine, right Connor?", Hank tried to reassure her.

"C-Connor…?", Lily looked about for the android, finally seeing his face as his warm brown eyes stared worriedly at her. It was then that Lily took in her surroundings; there was blood on the ground, that she could only assume was hers, and also…. she was Connor's arms.

If she hadn't been so confused, Lily would've turned bright pink in embarrassment, as the android carried her, princess style, in his strong but tender grip, one arm under her neck and the other under her legs. Connor turned his face down to look at her.

"You'll be alright, Lily", he smiled comfortingly. From where she was lying, it looked like Connor had a golden halo around his head, like he was her guardian angel. With all the strength she could muster, Lily locked her arms behind his neck, holding him close to her. This action didn't go over the android's head, as _he_ blushed (although it wasn't visible to others).

Lily felt herself being placed down on a stretcher, but she couldn't bear to let go, instinctively clinging on to him with her last few ounces of strength.

"It's alright Lily, I'm not going anywhere", he softly told her, making her slowly let go of her weak grip as a blonde woman's face appeared in front of her, shining a light in her eyes with a tiny torch.

"Hello, Miss. Can you hear me?", the woman asked kindly. Lily nodded slowly from the stretcher, her head turned and still looking at Connor, afraid that if she took her eyes off him he'd leave.

"Try not to move please, can you tell me your name?", the woman asked while strapping her into the stretcher.

"L-lily"

"Okay, Lily. My name is Sarah. You've been in a minor accident but you're gonna be just fine", Sarah reassured her.

"We'll take her to be checked out at the hospital", another paramedic explained to Hank and Connor. "She doesn't look like she's sustained many injuries aside from her head; but by the speed she got hit we don't want to take any chances"

"Can we come with her?", Hank asked worriedly. The paramedic nodded. "C'mon Connor, we're gonna stay in the back with her", Hank called to the android to join him. The RK-800 readily agreed, climbing into the ambulance with Hank.

"Keep an eye on her while I get us there", the male paramedic instructed.

The android was only too happy to comply, he sat in the ambulance with Lily lying next to him. Sarah watched over her as well, examining her person and trying to talk to her, keeping the lieutenant conscious - the ambulance quickly zooming through the city streets.

"_Connor_…", Lily only focussed on the android the whole time.

"Please try to refrain from talking, Lieutenant", he reassured her. Lily turned her head to one side, her face ghostly pale.

"What happened?", she asked blearily.

"Lieutenant-"

"Please just tell me", she looked at the android with pleading eyes, which made his heart leap. He couldn't say no.

"You ran after the deviants into oncoming traffic. I managed to stop a heavy-duty vehicle from crashing, but I believed you hit your head as it passed, rendering you unconscious", Connor explained.

"You… you saved me", Lily weakly smiled up at him, although it was clear she was having trouble staying awake. She gazed up at him gratefully, making Connor show a little blush on his face as the ambulance raced through the city streets.

"_Thank you_, Connor", she mumbled as numb blackness took hold of her once more

XXX

_11:35am_

"Y'all right?", Hank asked, standing up from his seat as Lily left the doctor's examination room. They were at the Detroit General Hospital, and she had been admitted about an hour ago. Hank had been pacing about the corridor anxiously the whole time, being irritable at the fact that Connor had been sitting calmly with a neutral expression on his face.

However, that was far from the truth. The android had been greatly concerned, especially at how long it had taken for her to be examined. He mostly blamed himself; if he had been fast, Lily wouldn't be in the hospital in the first place! He didn't have time for guilt however, he had to concentrate on her current well-being instead of focussing on past events.

"The doctor says I just have a little bump on my head", she indicated to the ice-pack she held to the left side of her head where a bandage also was wrapped around her skull. "It's to keep down the swelling. Apart from that, he just said I needed some rest but to come back if there's any other symptoms"

"Let's get you to the car", Hank said, hanging close by Lily as she walked a little shakily down the corridor.

"_Crap_", she thought as her legs suddenly gave way. Connor was by her side in an instant, holding on to her waist.

"Are you _sure_ you're okay Lil?", Hank asked suspiciously. "How do you feel?"

"Lucky to be alive", she smiled weakly. "Let's just get back to the station"

"No way, _Jose_! You're going straight _home_, missy", Hank demanded, giving her a look, which meant "_And that's final_". Lily rolled her eyes.

"But there's so much work to be done!", she protested.

"And it's not your problem. We'll take you home, you can rest for the remainder of the weekend and then you can come back Monday _if_ you feel up to it", he dismissed.

"Connor…?", Lily tried to reason.

"I agree with Lt. Anderson. After an accident, the victim can suffer from side-effects such as concussion and-"

"Alright, alright. Let's just get out of here then", she relented.

"Why do you only ever listen to him?", Hank rolled his eyes annoyingly. "Well, I can't complain about leaving; I _hate_ hospitals", he groaned as he and Connor helped Lily out of the building.

"_Me too_", she shuddered.

XXX

Hank's car pulled up to the Lily's apartment block in Greektown.

"Thanks for the lift", she said hastily, trying to get out of the car. She tried to push the car door open; it wouldn't budge.

"Not so fast", Hank wouldn't let her go that quickly.

"Did… did you just put the child-locks on?", Lily questioned, staring at the driver curiously from the backseat as Hank turned around to face her.

"Look, I didn't want to have to say this in front of him…", Hank nodded to Connor who sat in the passenger seat in the back. "But, make sure you take your… _stuff_, right?", he said in a low voice. Lily felt herself go red as she saw Connor look at her worriedly.

"Yep", she gulped nervously.

"I'd go in with you to make sure you're not lying, but while you were seeing the Doctor, Ben called up and says he wants me back at the station ASAP", Hank explained, turning to Connor. "Go make sure Lily's alright"

"Hank I don't need to be looked after!", she protested as the android nodded and got out the car.

"I just wanna make sure you're alright, especially after today", Hank said. "Please just let Connor make sure you're settled, alright?". Lily let out a reluctant sigh.

"Alright", she said undoing her seatbelt as Connor opened the car door for her. "Thank you Connor, bye Hank", she waved at the lieutenant as she walked up to her apartment block.

"You don't need to worry about either of us, Lieutenant", he explained. "I'll make my own way back to the station, if I'm not needed at the moment"

"Sure thing", Hank started up his car. "Oh, and Connor?". The android turned to face him.

"Take care of her, for me"

XXX

Connor was being very kind to Lily, she was grateful for his attention to detail as he carefully helped her to her apartment door; but all the while she felt embarrassed. The android suddenly became alert, staring at her front door as if it was alive, as scratching could be heard from inside.

He reflexively pushed Lily behind him, out of any danger. She rolled her eyes with a smile on her face as she opened her door, and out flew a small, frantic creature. Lily knelt to the floor, stroking her cat with affection as the ginger-tom purred loudly in bliss.

Connor leapt back, unsure of cats and how to approach them. He was programmed to work harmoniously with humans; however, _animals_ were something he had never thought he'd have to encounter in his missions.

"Relax Connor", Lily teased the android's slightly scared expression. "Scramble doesn't bite". However, it seemed Scramble had his _own_ ideas as he glared up at Connor, arching his back and hissing at the android aggressively.

"Are you sure about that?", he asked nervously, backing away from the feline.

"Woah, I've never seen him do that before", Lily stared at the cat, which made one last disapproving look at the RK-800 before proudly strutting back into the apartment, his tail waving in the air. She followed her cat, as Connor nervously copied her action.

Tossing her jacket on her coat rack by the front door, Lily slumped down onto her sofa, as Smartie came trotting out from the bedroom.

"Don't worry, this one is too lazy to hurt anyone", she said affectionately as Smartie jumped up onto the couch and plopped herself down on Lily's lap. Connor cautiously approached the cat, sitting down next to Lily, who took hold of his hand.

He felt his thirium pump nearly _explode_ with the sudden pressure he received around his body as his fingers brushed gently against Lily's.

"What are you-"

"Hold your palm like this", she showed him. Connor nervously held his hand out to Smartie, who looked from the android to her owner, before licking the synthetic hand. Lily felt Connor relax a little as the cat showed him her acceptance.

"See? She likes you", Lily smiled at him, her silver eyes exuding nothing but soft kindness. "She's a pretty cat, isn't she?", Lily gestured to Smartie. Connor gazed at the girl opposite him in adoration.

"I agree, she's absolutely beautiful"

*_Software Instability: Corrupted Drive at 51%_*

XXX

After a few minutes had passed with the pair sitting on Lily's sofa talking about the case, Connor tilted his head to one side.

"Excuse me lieutenant-"

"Lily"

"_Lily_, may I ask you a personal question?", he asked politely.

"Sure. You wanna know how many more crazy cats I have hidden around my flat?", she grinned as Scramble walked into the room, giving Connor the _dirtiest_ of glares due to the android sitting next to the ginger cat's mistress.

"Actually, I wanted to ask; what were the drugs Hank hinted at in the car earlier?". Lily's face fell as she turned away from him.

"They're… just tablets, for sleeping and other stuff that've been prescribed for me".

"I see", the android said politely. "Hank asked me to make sure you got some rest, where might the medicine be located, if you don't mind me asking?"

"They're in the bathroom cabinet, over there", Lily yawned as she pointed down the hallway.

"Thank you, lily", Connor said warmly. "I'll go get them", he got up from the sofa. It was then that the android actually took note of his surroundings, scanning the apartment.

Lily's home reflected her personality; her flat was decorated in soft pastel colours like pale pink, mint, light blue and lilac with some stylish, modern white furniture. Her living room and kitchen were the same, the kitchen was pretty humble, with plain white counters as well as cooking necessities like an oven, fridge, sink, etc. In the kitchen, there was also a small breakfast bar for two people to sit on stools.

In the living room there was the lilac sofa that Lily sat on, her two felines cuddled close, as well as a large holographic TV, a tall cat tower and a glass coffee table cluttered with magazines, a laptop, a video game controller, and some bottles of nail polish. Connor looked at the things Lily kept on the shelves in her living room, there were all kinds of books ranging from different manga collections to romantic storybooks by authors like Enid Blyton and Jane Austen.

Connor had never seen _real_ books before, almost everyone in the world now had the digital eBooks, he was intrigued as to how Lily kept these. He found snow-globes, ceramic fairy figurines, lava lamps and framed photos on the shelves as he passed by them. From the ceiling, different coloured fairy lights hung.

He assumed Lily was a sort of romantic, dreamy person, judging by the inspirational quote posters around her flat and other items such as a dreamcatcher above her bed, scented candles on every available surface and the cartoon cushions on the sofa.

The android passed through the rest of the house, taking in everything he could find so he could remember Lily's likes and dislikes. He entered the bathroom, finding the medicine cabinet above the sink and mirror. Connor sieved through the different drugs kept there, finding vitamins, caffeine pills, until he eventually stumbled onto a small red plastic bottle which kept a number of different tablets.

"_These are n__on__-benzodiazepine sedatives_" he thought after scanning the contents.

"You're only supposed to take these when you have time for rest, do you want me to bring them out?", Connor called. He received no reply. Confused, the android stuck his head out of the bathroom, walking back into the living room. A smile came across his face as he entered the room.

Lily was fast asleep on the sofa, with the black and white cat (Connor remembered its name to be Smartie) curled up on her lap and the other cat (Scramble) prowled around the room, watching over his sleeping owner.

"I guess you won't need these now, after all", Connor quietly spoke as he set the capsule of drugs on the coffee-table.

He took a blanket that hung over the back of the sofa and gently rested it over the sleeping partner, being sure not to wake her up. The android looked at the front door, he could leave her and join Lieutenant Anderson at the DCPD, but he still wanted to be sure that Lily was fine as she woke up.

Still…

The concern Connor felt for the sleeping girl was great. He wanted to know why she was prescribed sedatives, was she suffering from a sleep disorder? Or did she have a more serious condition such as depression?

Connor was torn; if he left, he would worry about her until Monday, and Lily may need his help when she woke up. However, if he _stayed_, he would be going against his directive, which was to investigate the deviant cases. He had never been in such a position before, and Connor found that he had to weigh up the life of a human, a life which was partially deemed unnecessary to the investigation, but a life he found himself caring about very deeply.

The android sighed, letting out artificial breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding in. Sitting down gently next to Lily, ever so careful not to disturb her, Connor reached out and touched her forehead so lightly it would've felt like a feather.

A low growl came from one side of the room; Connor saw that Scramble, the more aggressive of the two cats was watching him intently, ensuring that the android didn't do anything to harm his beloved mistress.

"_I'm watching you_", Scramble's gleaming green eyes glared.

Connor put his hands up in mock defeat, as he watched Lily, not daring to move any closer for fear her over-protective feline would attack him.

"I'll be here for you when you wake up", he whispered.

*_Software Instability: Corrupted Drive at 57%_*


	10. Chapter 10: Confessions

_03:46pm_

Several hours after Lily had fallen asleep, her phone began to ring. Connor looked up from the magazine he was reading (he had decided to keep himself busy via learning more about his sleeping partner).

The android cautiously approached the mobile device; it only buzzed so it didn't wake Lily up, but Connor had no clue what he was supposed to do in this situation.

He didn't want to ignore the phone, what if it was Hank calling him back to the police station?

He didn't want to answer the phone, what would Lily do if she caught him snooping through her personal belongings?

The buzzing sound become more and more rapid, so Connor decided to pick up. Hopefully, it was nothing important and he could take a message. But _nothing_ could prepare him for what was on the other line.

"_LILY_!? Darling?", a very loud, fruity voice practically shouted into the phone. Connor winced, looking back over at the sleeping lieutenant; he was grateful she hadn't stirred.

"I haven't heard from you in a while, dearest! How have you been?", the voice continued, it belonged to a woman.

"Th-this is Connor speaking. Who are you?", he managed to get out.

"_Pardon_? I haven't heard of anyone called Connor. Where's my _daughter_, Lily?", the android relaxed a little, it was only Lily's mother.

"She is sleeping next to me, at the moment", the android said, slowly sitting down on the sofa next to Lily.

"_Ooh_", the mother replied. Connor could've sworn he heard her _giggle_. "Well then, I shan't keep you"

"Thank you-"

"What did you say your name was, again?", the woman persisted.

"Connor, my name is Connor", he sighed.

"Hm, I thought her boyfriend's name was Gavin". Connor's eyes widened.

Her _boyfriend_!?

"Anyway, let me give you a hint. Girls just _love_ to be made breakfast the morning after! Lily's favourite are _pancakes_, to give you some idea"

"The morning after?", Connor questioned.

"Oh! I've got to go now, send Lily my love! Ta-ta!", the woman hung up. Connor stared in the phone in wonder.

"_What was that all about_?"

XXX

It was the second time that day when Lily awoke to darkness. Wherever she was, it was pitch black.

Her eyes flew open, her heart pumping madly as she let out a strangled gasp for air. Lily tried to examine her surroundings, but there was no light _anywhere_. She heard footsteps approaching her, indicating she _wasn't_ _alone_ in the dark which made her back away in terror.

"Lily-", a soft voice tried to speak to her.

"WHO'S THERE!?", she cried, tears of fright streaming down her face like waterfalls.

"It's me, Connor", he tried to put a reassuring hand on her shoulder but she flinched. Suddenly, she remembered the name.

"C-Connor? Where are you!?", she cried, blindly turning her head as she tried to look for the android.

Her eyes squinted, as sudden soft light filled the room. Shielding her face, Lily saw it came from a lamp. She was in her apartment.

_She was safe at home_

Breathing out an immense sigh of relief, Lily suddenly turned red, sitting up straight as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"_Oh god, he's just watched me freak out and cry like a baby_". There had never before been a time in her life when she had wanted to crawl in a hole and _die_ of shame more than now.

"Are you alright, Lily?", Connor carefully approached her, not wanting to startle the human he cared about. She hastily rubbed away her tears.

"I'm…", Lily was about to say 'fine' until she knew it was _pointless_ trying to pretend anymore and instead broke down into a fresh set of tears. Connor felt his heart wrench horribly at the sight of her crying; he didn't hesitate to sit next to her and put a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"What's wrong?", he whispered softly, grabbing the box of tissues on the coffee table nearby. Lily blew her nose, after a few minutes she managed to stop shaking uncontrollably.

"I'm _sorry_, I'm so sorry Connor I-", she sobbed.

"Don't even think about apologising", he smiled, gently brushing away a stray tear with his thumb.

"God, you must think I'm nuts", she joked, despite the circumstances.

"I would _never_ question your sanity; unless you _do_ possibly have a hundred cats hidden here", he teased lightly. Lily laughed at the thought, although she still felt embarrassed and… _pathetic_, basically.

"I won't pressure you into telling me, but… may I ask, is it _depression_ you are taking your sedative's for?", Connor tried to put it as gently as possible. Lily shook her head.

"No… it's insomnia"

XXX

"It's chronic… I've had it for years", she said, staring into the cup of tea Connor had made her. They were still sitting on the sofa, as Lily explained to the android about her medication.

"I've got sedatives that make me fall asleep, drugs to _keep_ me asleep and then caffeine pills to make sure I stay awake once I'm up".

Despite the fact that she had prescribed sedatives to put her asleep, the drugs were very unpleasant. When people asked her about it, Lily had usually been lost for words at how to describe why she disliked taking the medication. It wasn't just the thought of being reliant on drugs that put her off the pills, it was how they _worked_.

The sedatives didn't replicate the calm, relaxed feeling of sleep; the opposite actually. They made her feel groggy and sick, like she was hot and flushed and about to pass out from exhaustion or heat. When she woke it wasn't much better, she felt unwell and tired, and not refreshed and energised for her day. That was where the caffeine pills came in; supposedly giving her energy and keeping her awake for the day.

Lily didn't like to broadcast or tell anyone about her insomnia, she didn't want pity or people thinking herself incapable of being a cop, which was why she went to great lengths to hide the dark shadows under her eyes with makeup, making her look brighter and healthier than she actually was.

Connor knew what insomnia was; however, being an android, he had no need for sleep anyway so he couldn't understand how it felt to go nearly days at a time without any rest.

"I bet you're also wondering why I freaked out when I woke up, huh?", she turned to him.

"I would certainly like to be given an answer, but I understand if you don't want to tell me", he nodded. Lily swallowed nervously.

"Well, it's because…", she shook her head suddenly. "No, forget it, it's stupid"

"Please Lily, I can tell it's bothering you", Connor looked at her endearingly. Lily sighed, how could she refuse those big brown puppy-eyes?

"Okay, but… promise you won't laugh?". Connor took her hand, he leaned close to her and spoke in the softest voice she had ever heard.

"_I promise_"

Lily turned pink. It was sweet but at the same time, a little unsettling how calm he was. Almost _seductive_. She let out a nervous sigh.

"The truth is… I'm afraid of the dark". No sooner as she had said it, she wanted to bury her face in a pillow and never speak again.

"The dark?", he repeated curiously. He was honestly expecting something a little more…. _scary_?

"Yes! I mean, I can barely sleep anyway, but never in complete darkness. That's why I have so many lights", Lily explained hurriedly, pointing at the many different lamps and string lights she had around the room. She slumped over, hiding her face behind her hair.

"I know it's stupid and childish", she muttered.

"No, it's not", Connor told her. Lily looked up at him. "It's a natural response to a feeling of helplessness"

"Helplessness?", Lily tiled her head.

"Let me explain", he reassured her. "People, _humans_, are afraid of the dark because they can't see any potential threats. It triggers the reaction of feeling vulnerable and exposed, and the fear of the dark remained through history as humans evolved from their primal ancestors", Connor explained. His programming really did come in handy!

"Woah", Lily looked at him incredulously. "You know a lot. Did CyberLife give you a super-computer as a brain?", she teased, cheering up a lot.

"Not exactly", Connor grinned. "But I am the most advanced prototype they have released so far", Lily had to admit, Connor did look pretty cute when he was proud. "If it reassures you in any way, 40% of adults are afraid of the dark, lieutenant", he said. Lily smiled.

"Thank you, Connor". The android thought for a moment, his cranial components whirring.

"I also have reason to believe that it may be the cause of your insomnia"

"That _would_ make sense", she ran her hands through her hair, careful to not disturb her bandage. "But I know why I've got it", Lily turned to him. "My doctor said that it's because of PTSD". Connor's eyes widened.

"My Dad had an accident a few years ago… I've kind of had… _issues_ ever since"

"Is there anything I can do to help?", the android asked immediately.

"You're sweet, Connor", she smiled sadly. "But I've already been seeing a therapist about it for a long time"

"I assume the Nyctophobia worsens your condition", he theorized.

"Yeah", she sighed. It wasn't a tired, bored sigh; it was a sigh of release. Strangely, she felt _better_ after telling Connor, something she never would've expected!

"Thanks for listening, Connor. I really appreciate it", Lily beamed at him, feeling comfortable from the closure.

"You're welcome, Lily", Connor straightened up in pride. "I'm honoured for you to share such private information with me".

"Well, my Dad did once say that talking about an insecurity makes you feel better", she said, fond memories flowing through her head. Lily sighed, feeling a lot more at peace than before, and with a stretch got up off the sofa, and went to check on the food in her fridge.

"What time is it?", she yawned.

"07:19pm"

"Jesus, it's night already?", Lily asked, opening the curtains on the other side of the room. Sure enough, the bright billboards and high-rise skyscrapers of Detroit lit up the city skyline.

"You were asleep for roughly 6 hours", Connor told her, looking out at the night sky as well.

"God I slept like a log", Lily rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Maybe I should get hit by trucks more often. At least then I'll get a decent amount of rest", she joked, looking at Connor and giggling a little at the concerned expression on his face.

"Jokes"

"I think both me and Lieutenant Anderson would prefer if you _don't _make a habit of running in front of cars", he said semi-seriously. Lily laughed, but no sooner than she had done so, she clutched at her bandaged wound.

"God, I feel like my head's going to _explode_", she said, clenching her eyes shut. "Now I understand how Hank feels after a long night"

"You should still take it easy, lieutenant", he advised, guiding her back to the sofa gently.

"Thanks mom", she teased lightly.

"Speaking of which", Connor changed subjects. "She called, asking about you", he handed Lily her phone.

"Oh really? What did you say?", Lily turned on the phone and blinked uneasily at the screen's light, reading that she had 17 new text messages.

"I didn't really understand what she was talking to me about, I'm afraid", he said sheepishly.

"That sounds like her", Lily grinned.

"But she mentioned something about pancakes? And about having breakfast the _morning after_, whatever that means-"

"_WHAT_!?", Lily gaped at Connor. "Oh _crap_, please, _please_ tell me you're joking"

"Did I do something wrong?", Connor asked innocently. The RK-800 clearly didn't understand. "I only answered it because I didn't want you to miss anything important"

"No, it's alright you haven't done anything wrong, Connor, it's just… my dang, interfering _MOTHER_!", Lily groaned. "Did she think you were my boyfriend? She's obsessed with setting me up with people"

"She mentioned…", he trailed off. "_Detective Reed_ being in a relationship with you", the android spoke in almost a whisper.

"_Holy moly_, where did she get _that_ demented idea from!?", Lily gaped. "Gavin isn't my boyfriend, he's not even really a _friend_, he's just someone I talk to sometimes". Lily suddenly sat up, aware of the topic.

"I'm really sorry again about this morning, Connor. He's been absolutely unfair and horrible to you", she said sadly.

"I am grateful for your concern, Lieutenant but I can assure you, he is more of a threat to _you_ than me". Lily looked at the android curiously.

"What do you mean?"

"If I am destroyed during the investigation, CyberLife will send another model to replace me", he explained.

"So… you could die, and you'd come back as if… nothing happened?"

"That's the idea", Connor wondered how this would affect Lily, but her answer surprised him greatly.

"Cool". He looked at her in awe. "What? That's like an awesome superpower to have"

"I don't believe I shall ever understand you, lieutenant Dover", he said honestly. Lily just grinned.

"Good, it's always handy to have a little bit of mystery about oneself", she winked at him slyly. Connor grinned and blushed a little goofily. Now it was _her_ turn to stare at him.

_*Software Instability: Corrupted Drive at 59%*_

"Wow Connor, your face is turning blue! Is that supposed to happen?", she asked, a little concerned.

"Oh that…. it just sometimes happens, the engineers who made me can't explain it", he lied, feeling his face flush further. "May I ask you a question, lieutenant?", Connor switched subjects.

"Sure, go ahead", Lily assured him, checking her phone for text messages.

"Why do you apologise for Detective Reed?"

Lily looked up at him from her phone, unsure of how to answer.

"Erm, well…", she bit her lip. "When I joined the DCPD, I only really had Hank and my best friend, Madison, to talk to. But Gavin didn't know anything about me and he still came up to speak to me a lot and include me in conversations with others, even though I usually just sat by myself in the office", she explained. "Now after working there for a while, I know nearly everyone in the office and I'm quite grateful for Gavin for introducing me", Lily said, but as she spoke, she noticed Connor staring a little sadly at the floor.

"But, I don't think I like him very much now, after he tried to shoot one of my friends in the face", she explained, playfully nudging Connor. He looked up in a mixture of shock and happiness.

"Friend…?"

"Yeah, I think of you as my friend, Connor", she smiled brightly at the android. He looked almost taken aback.

"I… I would be _honoured_ to have a friend", he gave the tiniest smile of unsure shock.

"Then no more '_lieutenant'_ and '_miss'_, I now can have you call me just Lily", she rubbed her hands together gleefully. Connor threw back his head and laughed.

Connor _laughed_!

"You sound just like a tiny supervillain", he teased. Lily (who was having trouble getting over her new friend _laughing_) managed to overcome her daze momentarily to nod her head and grin wickedly.

"I try my best", she joked. Looking around her apartment, Lily then realised she hadn't eaten anything since a yogurt at breakfast.

"Connor, do you want to stay and eat something with me?", she asked him. She knew androids didn't _need_ to eat food, but she wondered if he was interested all the same.

"Thank you for the offer, but I believe CyberLife will be asking for my return shortly", he said graciously.

"Sure thing", she smiled politely. "But it's sometimes a bit unsavoury out there at night, I'd be careful getting back home, Connor", she told him.

"Home?", he pondered her words.

"Yeah, you were built at CyberLife, isn't it your home?", she asked him, tilting her head to one side.

"I suppose I'd never thought about it like that", he confessed. "Thank you for your company, Lily, I wish I could've been more help"

"Nonsense! You were incredibly kind to look after me for such a long time. I should be thanking you", she beamed at the android. It made Connor feel warm and fuzzy inside!

"I was only doing what a _friend_ would", he immediately liked that word.

"Well, if you really have to go, good-night then, _friend_", she smiled.

"Goodnight, Lily", he said with an adorable, flourishing bow. Lily went bright pink at the action, as the android went towards the front door.

"Connor", she stopped him as he reached the door.

"Lily?"

"Happy first day on the job", she smiled.

"But we have worked together the previous day?", he was confused.

"Yeah but that was just _one_ night; this is your first proper 24 hours", she grinned before stepping closer to the RK-800. "Be careful, Connor", Lily was blushing profusely.

"I will", he assured her. "Make sure you get some rest", the android smiled kindly at her.

Suddenly, there was a loud knock at the door. The RK-800 and Lily looked at each other, unsure of what to do. Lily nodded at him, so Connor slowly opened the door. Outside the apartment, a very pretty, tall girl stood with a plate of cupcakes which read "Get better soon" in colourful frosting.

"Madison?", Lily smiled. The girl turned around, suddenly realising that the door was open.

"Hi Lil! How have you been-", Madison cut off at seeing a _very_ gorgeous, dark-haired young man in a suit standing in her best friend's apartment.

"Hi, erm", Lily stifled a giggle as Madison cleared her throat, before putting down the cupcakes on a side-table in the apartment and putting on a sultry voice while striking a seductive pose.

"_Hello_, my name is Madison", she tried to flirt with the handsome stranger.

"My name is Connor", he said politely, clearly oblivious to the _obvious_ advance. "I was just about to head _home_", Connor explained, looking directly at Lily when he said "home".

"Goodnight Lily", he said softly. "Goodnight Madison", he politely did his signature bow, making Madison only eye him even more. Connor left through the apartment door, closing it behind him after one final goodbye.

Immediately as soon as he had left, Madison's head snapped back to eye Lily.

"Who was- _wait_! OMG what happened to you, Lil?", Madison rushed over to her friend in worry. "They told me you got hit on the head, but not that you got smacked in the face!"

"What do you mean?", Lily asked confused as Madison pushed a compact mirror from her purse in front of her best friend's face.

"Jesus! I look like I've had a boxing-match with the pavement", she laughed at her own reflection. Lily had bruises all over one side of her face, namely around her left eye.

"Didn't someone tell you about it at the hospital?", Madison asked, putting the mirror back in her purse.

"I can't really remember that much", Lily confessed, tenderly feeling the painful bruises she hadn't noticed before. "Ugh, the stress of the world is too much", she cried dramatically, falling backwards onto the sofa and pretending to die comically.

"Drama Queen", Madison laughed, bringing the box of cupcakes into the room and setting them down on the coffee table. "Soooo…. Who was that hottie?"

"He already told you his name", Lily teased.

"Oh, come on! SPILL! Who is he? Why was he here? Are you two a thing?"

"One question at a time, please!", the lieutenant held up her hands in surrender. "No, we're not going out, and anyway, he's an android if you didn't notice"

"Aw, really?", Madison asked, clearly sad. "Why're all the good ones either robots or gay?", she asked herself.

"Hey! Just because he's an android, doesn't mean he's not a really lovely person", Lily defended Connor.

"Lil, they're _androids_, they're _designed_ to be polite and junk", Madison rolled her eyes at her best friend.

"But-"

"Anyway, how have you been? I was really worried when they told me at lunch that you were in the hospital!". Lily sucked in her breath, she decided not to argue further; no one seemed to think like her when it came to androids.

"I'm sorry if you were worried, I just hit my head a little", she explained.

"Yeah, on a speeding car! I'm so glad you're alright though", Madison pulled Lily into a big hug.

"Aw, thanks Mads", she smiled.

"And seeing as we missed our coffee meetup this morning, I brought these beauties", Madison gestured to the box of cupcakes with pink and blue frosting, offering one to Lily.

"You're such a sweetheart", Lily thanked her best friend as she took a blue cupcake, with Madison taking a pink one.

"Cheers", they both said in unison, pretending to toast.

"These are really good", Lily said through a mouthful of cupcake.

"Not as good as your mom's though, I bet", Madison gushed. "She just released her new book, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so. I haven't really spoken to her in a while though so I'm not really sure", Lily said a little disheartened, but remembering the call from earlier.

"I'm so jealous! I bet you had cupcakes and cookies at home all the time with your mother being a celebrity chef!"

"Er, not really. My mum's more of a gourmet chef, she's not really _that_ kind of cook", Lily awkwardly explained.

"_Or that kind of mother_", she thought to herself before immediately feeling bad. She knew her mother loved her very much, it was just that sometimes Lily grew fed up of all the constant prying that she had to put up with.

Delilah Westfield (formerly Delilah Dover before her divorce), was sometimes incredibly difficult to handle; she was quite a snobbish busybody at times and could sometimes be a little mean in her "constructive criticism"

"_What are you wearing, Lily!? Go back upstairs and change, you're not fit to be seen_!", her mother's words echoed in her ears, bringing back embarrassing prom memories.

Lily often felt smothered by her mother's constant nosy attitude, sometimes calling Lily on the phone late at night to talk about meaningless things like what _clothes_ she would be wearing the next day. Still, Lily loved her mother, it was non-negotiable.

As if sensing their mistress' awkward emotions, Scramble and Smartie ran into the room, meowing and purring loudly for attention. Madison happily rubbed the black and white cat's soft, fluffy belly but was hesitant to touch Scramble.

"God, I swear that cat is _evil_. I think he actually hates me", Madison said as she stared at the ginger tom. He glared back at her, as if to agree.

"He's not evil, silly", Lily cooed and Scramble practically melted like butter, jumping onto his mistress' lap and rolling around, purring with bliss at being petted. "He's just a little green-eyed; he gets jealous whenever someone else comes over"

"You can say that again", Madison grinned as Smartie contentedly plopped her chubby body down onto the blonde's lap.

"So, what made you miss coffee today? Was it the case?", she asked her brunette friend.

"Actually… um, Gavin asked me to spend the morning break with him", she nervously explained. "I'm so sorry for not being there though! It's just that, I had only just got into work and then I couldn't find you, and Gavin appeared and I couldn't think of an excuse and I didn't want to be rude and-"

"Lily! _Chill_!", Madison interrupted. "It's totally fine! I'm not mad. Besides, you got to spend time with a pretty hot guy", she winked, nudging her BFF playfully.

"Me and Gavin?", she asked, wide-eyed.

"I'm not so sure now"

XXX

The two had been chatting about guys until Madison had to leave and go back to her home. Lily sighed, looking around at the empty apartment as she put the rest of the cupcakes in the fridge. She felt kinda bad, apart from Madison, she had no-one to share them with; she'd be eating them all on her own.

The two cats meowed at her, reminding her they were there too.

"Of course, I won't forget about you guys", she smiled as she smothered each cat in kisses.

"Well, I guess it's time I get some rest", she shrugged.

Smartie and Scramble blinked at her in agreement.


	11. Chapter 11: Lunch Break

Lily had spent the rest of her weekend resting as much as she could. Surprisingly, her head wound and bruises healed remarkably quickly, although there were still purple and green marks around her left eye.

But again, Lily found herself stuck at home.

She loved her apartment, she wouldn't deny that, but the truth was, she had very little to do. Other than working on taking pictures for the city, Lily had almost nothing else apart from her job which she was dedicated to.

So, with nothing else, Lily spent her free time mostly cleaning her apartment and reading. She had once taken joy in jogging around the district in the early morning, but however Lily was usually too tired to so.

The young lieutenant spent her Sunday snuggled under a blanket, watching TV and writing in her diary. When night came however, she determinedly took her prescribed sedatives, then crawled into bed (with a lamp on in the corner of the room, of course) as Smartie and Scramble lay next to her, the ever-watchful guardians.

XXX

_Monday 8th November _

_07:46am_

Lily woke on Monday morning, feeling amazingly refreshed. She practically skipped out of bed giving her two cats a rude awakening.

"Sorry my lovelies", Lily called cheerily as she went into the kitchen, shaking out some cat biscuits for Smartie and Scramble before preparing her own breakfast. The two cats came running excitedly at the sound of food being poured into their bowls.

Lily turned on the morning radio, hearing the usual boring news statements before frying up scrambled eggs and bacon for breakfast. She gobbled down her food quickly, before rushing off to shower and dress. Emerging from her bedroom with her favourite pair of black jeans combined with a blue shirt and black boots, plus her signature hooded jacket.

Then with a skip Lily grabbed her keys and other daily essentials, tied her hair up into an elegant bun, and patted each cat's head as a quick goodbye before bounding out the apartment door and down to the front of the building. Lily grabbed her bike, unlocked it from the bicycle rack and pedalled off with great speed towards work.

XXX

_03:02pm_

It was raining cats and dogs as Hank's car pulled up outside the _Chicken Feed_ burger van under one of Detroit's abandoned railways. They were in a pretty poor part of town, but it was where Hank's favourite food truck was so neither Connor nor Lily decided to argue against it.

However, as the police car pulled up on the other side of the road, it was clear that many people in the area stopped what they were doing and glared at the car in contempt.

"Do you want anything, Lily?", Hank asked before he got out the car into the rain.

"No thank you Hank", she replied politely. The trio had experienced a rather depressing morning; they had gone on a huge chase after a suspect, yet in the end it all turned out to be a huge misunderstanding. Despite this, Lily still regained the positive attitude she had began work with; making her two partners ask about her weekend.

"_You're in an especially plucky mood this morning_", the old lieutenant had said to her. Connor had also asked about getting rest, which made Lily feel very happy that the android had gone so far as to ask her about her break from work; which was completely un-related to the case.

"Are you sure, Lil? It's important to eat for a reason", Hank persisted. Lily eventually gave in. "Come on, I'll buy you something", he said getting out of the car as she followed in resignation. "If you don't need anything Connor, stay right there and make sure nobody scratches the car", Hank called to the android.

The two lieutenants crossed the road, getting pelted on by the heavy rain. Hank held up his hand as one of the auto-drive taxi cars stopped in the road to let the two people pass.

"Hey Lily, haven't seen you around for a while", Gary, the owner of the food truck spoke to the young DCPD officer, who greeted him with a smile. "Hi Hank, how you doing?", Gary asked the older lieutenant.

"Eh, you know, same old shit", Hank replied casually, leaning on the truck's counter as he glanced at the police car where Connor sat inside.

"Plastic with you two?", Gary's eyebrows raised, also looking at the police car.

"Only temporary", Lily shook her head. Hank rolled his eyes, as if he wanted Connor out of the way as soon as possible. Gary began to prepare Hank's usual meal with a smirk; it was commonplace for people to dislike androids.

"Hey, hey Hank!", a cocky voice came from behind the two lieutenants. It was Pedro; one of Hank's friends.

"¡Ese!", the older officer fist-bumped the young guy with a grin.

The two men had come to meet when the DCPD was sent to bust a criminal gambling ring, but when Hank came to put an arrest, Pedro (one of the guys who advertised the gambling), gave him a deal. It was clear to say that Pedro got off without an arrest, and the two had been friends ever since.

"Hey, Lily. How you doin', girl?", Pedro turned to her with a smirk.

"Great, thanks Pedro", she grinned back. Lily didn't know Pedro that well, his criminal record and name being the only thing she understood about him; but still she wouldn't judge someone just by those two factors.

"Hey, listen", the guy lowered his voice as he spoke to Hank. "I got a shit-hot tip for you", he explained as he looked about to make sure no-one was listening in to their conversation.

"Number five in the third, _lickety-split_!", Pedro grinned, leaning back on the counter. "That filly's one hell of a chaser. You wanna flutter?"

XXX

Connor stepped out the car and into the rain, being careful to cross the road. As he approached Hank and Lily from behind, he heard snippets of a conversation.

"Last shit-hot tip you gave me sent me back a week's wages, Pedro", Hank told a young man in a paper boy's cap and hoodie who was talking to the two lieutenants.

"Come on Hank, this is different!", Pedro shook his head with confidence. "It's 100% guaranteed, you can't go wrong".

Connor scanned the faces of the people in front of him, not one of them yet realised his presence. He already knew the two lieutenants he worked with, but found out that the man talking to Lily and Hank was called Pedro Aabdar, he was 33 and had a criminal record of illegal gambling and fraud. The android also discovered that the owner of the food truck, the man behind the counter cooking the burgers was Gary Kayes, and he also had a police record of breaching hygiene regulations and resisting arrest.

It made the RK-800 wonder at why two police officers spent time with those who had a criminal history. Connor felt a little bit of concern for both his partners, so he moved closer to the conversation, hoping to, in some way, protect the two lieutenants.

"Alright, I'm in", Hank seemed to agree to the wager, slapping some paper money in Pedro's hand with a grin.

"Damn straight!", the young man confidently smiled back before turning to Lily. "You want in too, Lil?"

"No thanks", she shook her head politely. "I'm not very lucky when it comes to bets", Lily shrugged her shoulders jokingly.

"Catch you both later then", Pedro grinned, beginning to walk away. "Hey, you won't regret this!", he called back to them, not looking where he was walking and bumping directly into Connor.

"Watch it, weirdo!", Pedro shoved the android aside rudely. Connor straightened his tie, before walking to stand next to his two partners.

"Oh great", Hank rolled his eyes, looking away from the android. "What is your problem? Don't you ever do as your told?", he asked Connor, who didn't say anything. "Look, you don't have to follow us around like a goddamn _poodle_!"

"I apologise for my behaviour, but I think our relationship got off on the wrong foot", Connor said to Hank. "We should… try to start over, what do you say?", he asked, trying to make amends. Lily thought the android was pretty brave for apologizing for whatever he had done to trigger Hank into attacking him at the DCPD station on Saturday morning.

"If you wanted to apologise, why didn't you do it sooner?", Hank grumbled, not looking at the android.

"I was preoccupied with Lily's condition, then I didn't see you on Sunday so today was my first chance", he explained, moving closer to Hank. "Listen lieutenant, having a negative relationship between us will only negatively affect the investigation. Can you forgive me?"

"Listen, Jeffrey gave me a piece of plastic to join me and my partner, and I'm still getting over it", Hank sighed, resting his head on one hand. "Maybe I did overreact a little", he suddenly straightened up, staring directly at the android. "But if you think we're gonna be buddies, it just proves you're as stupid as you look". Connor looked at the ground sadly; clearly disappointed with his.

"Maybe if you _let_ Connor come with us instead of telling him to stay in the car, he wouldn't have to ignore what you tell him to do", Lily observed. After a long pause, with Lily and Connor both staring at the 3rd member of their trio, Hank eventually rolled his eyes.

"Ugh, fine! I'll stop telling him what to do", he grunted. "But seriously, he _better not_ get in the way"

"Has he ever?", she implored. "Connor saved my life last week, Hank. I think we owe him our trust".

"Yeah well…", Hank glanced at Connor who stood professionally with his arms behind his back. "Thank you for saving my partner", Hank mumbled.

"_Our_ partner", she corrected him.

"Whatever", Hank crossed his arms stubbornly. Lily leaned close to Connor.

"That's just his way of saying _thank you_", she whispered in his ear.

"When did you two become so close?", Hank looked at the pair curiously.

"Since Saturday night, when Lily announced me to be her friend", Connor said proudly. Lily giggled, she couldn't _help_ it; Connor always looked so adorable was he was proud of something. The android would straighten up in posture and close his eyes contentedly, like a puppy being praised after it had learned to do a new trick.

"God, I think I'm gonna be sick", Hank griped. "You two are both acting so _cutesy_ together, I think I'm losing my appetite"

"Hopefully not, otherwise these would go to waste", Gary appeared from behind the food truck's counter, carrying two burgers and a pineapple soda.

"Thanks Gary", Lily grinned as she and Hank took their food. "I'll pay for it, Hank", she told him.

"Nope, this one's on me", he insisted. "Go find a table somewhere". Lily knew how stubborn Hank could be, so she decided to just let him have his way.

"Come on, Connor", Lily called as she chose one of the Chicken Feed outdoor tables while Hank paid Gary. The android watched.

"Hey, don't leave that thing here!", Gary swatted at Connor as if the android was a pest.

"Not a chance; he follows us everywhere", Hank rolled his eyes.

The two lieutenants stood under the canopy of one of the _Chicken Feed's_ outdoor tables; Lily was glad to be out of the rain despite her appreciation for the weather, she loved the sound of rain drumming onto roofs, the look of rain as it dripped down windows and umbrellas, even the _smell_ of the rain, but still she didn't like to be actually _in_ the element getting soaked.

Lily watched as her partner eagerly opened the warm polystyrene box which contained his burger, and began to happily devour the meal.

"So much for 'losing my appetite'", she joked.

"Gary makes the best burger in Detroit", he mumbled through a mouth of food, spraying crumbs everywhere. Hank gestured with his mouth full, to Lily's meal, which she hadn't touched yet.

"Your meals contain 1.4 times the recommended calorie intake and twice the cholesterol level", Connor said suddenly, after sensing Lily's hesitance he gave her a reason to politely decline. "You shouldn't eat that", he pointed to the burger Hank was quickly demolishing, as the lieutenant peered suspiciously at it.

"Everybody's gotta die of something", he dismissed.

"Still, it would be bad if it went to waste", Lily decided.

Lily wasn't really one for burgers, but she opened her box and started to eat. It was actually pretty good! Connor watched her with affection, finding everything she did to be endearing.

"About this… Pedro?", the android spoke, trying to make conversation. Lily and Hank both looked up, their attention solely on Connor. "He was proposing illegal gambling on horse-racing, is that correct?"

"Yeah?", Hank confirmed, taking another bite out of his burger.

"And you made a bet?"

"Yeah", he repeated. Connor's LED flashed yellow, clearly confused.

"He doesn't understand, Hank", Lily said.

"I must confess, I am having difficulty in coming to terms with why someone would deliberately break the law", he confessed.

"Connor, see, some people break the law because they have to", Lily put down her food, her eyes only on him. "Like if they have to steal food when they're hungry, and situations like that, get it?", she explained. The android nodded, but a little unsurely. "But some people break the law because of loads of different reasons, like if they want to do stuff that isn't allowed, such as download a pirated movie online or…. something like that"

"But why do they do it? Why break the law?", he looked at her in earnest. Lily felt her heart flutter at his big brown eyes.

"I-I don't know…. I don't have the answers as to why some people break the law", she looked away sheepishly. "I only know that we investigate and catch people who break the law, but it's never really crossed my mind as to why people do it without the need to"

"Some like it cause of the thrill of the risk", Hank spoke up, nonchalantly eating as both looked at him. "Some people wanna do what others tell them they can't"

"I think I can understand the feeling", Lily admitted. There had been times in her life when she had wanted to just run rampant; not do anything serious like kill or hurt people, but on a rare occasion, usually late during a particularly bad night when her insomnia wouldn't let her sleep, she had wished to just steal a motorcycle or car and drive far away from everything and everyone, never having to deal with other people or sleep loss or existential questions….

But she also knew that you can't run away from your problems.

"_Well, you **can**, but they always catch up to you_", she thought tiredly. These deviant cases were starting to get to her, confusing her over what was right and wrong.

Connor sensed the tension through the silence that ensured from the table, the only noise being from the rain that came down upon the table's umbrella above their heads and the honking of traffic which constantly echoed around the city.

"Let's change topics", he broke the silence awkwardly.

"Agreed", Lily let out a little nervous laugh.

"Is there anything you'd like to know about me?", Connor asked to the table, but he only looked at Lily as he spoke, making her insides feel warm and gooey. As she opened her mouth to speak, Hank interrupted.

"Hell no", he dismissed, before suddenly speaking again. "Wait, yeah, there's something I think we both wanna know". Connor forced his gaze away from Lt. Dover as he looked at Hank.

"Um, why did the guys at CyberLife make you so goofy-looking and give you that weird voice?"

Lily snorted so hard that her food nearly came out of her nose, as she clamped her hands over her mouth and tried not to giggle; the last thing she wanted was to hurt Connor's feelings by the android thinking she was laughing at him. Hank however laughed at Lily's reaction, which provoked the RK-800 himself to chuckle a little.

"CyberLife androids are designed to work and co-exist harmoniously alongside humans", Connor tried to explain but even _he_ couldn't suppress a laugh; besides, no one was really paying attention to the answer, they all just joked at themselves and each other, and it felt _good_.

"Both my voice and appearance were specifically designed to facilitate my integration"

"I didn't catch any of that, too much _tech talk_ for my brain", Hank shrugged jokingly. "But I can tell they fucked up whatever they were trying to do"

"Aw, you're so mean, Hank", Lily pouted before playfully poking Connor in the arm, making the android grin at her, clearly taking the insult in good humour. "Don't take any notice of him, he's a big softie once you get past all the sarcasm".

"Hey!", Hank pretended to grumble but his laughter was undeniable. Lily never wanted this moment to end, she had never before seen Hank so happy since… Cole. But even the sad memory of the young boy couldn't wreck the happy mood as Hank actually gave a _joke_ that _wasn't_ dry humour or sarcasm.

"Okay, okay", Lily said eventually, trying to compose herself a little after all the giggling. "I have a _real_ question"

"Go ahead, Lieutenant", Connor smiled. "I'm all ears"

"Have you ever worked with deviants before?"

The serious question brought with it a serious mood, as the android's LED flickered yellow momentarily, indicating he was deep in thought and memory.

"A few months back, in August", Connor's eyes suddenly came out of his daze as he spoke. "A deviant was threatening to jump off a building with a little girl", he explained as everyone fell silent.

"I managed to save her", he looked in honesty at Lily.

"Thank god you did", she breathed out a sigh of relief. "I think I heard about that actually, was the girl called Emma?", Lily asked as she remembered something from last summer.

XXX

"Rough day, sir?", Lily asked Captain Allen at the coffee machine in the office's breaker room. The Captain of the DCPD's SWAT Team had just returned from a long night's mission.

"You could say that", the Captain rubbed his forehead tiredly. "A deviant tried to play frickin' Buzz Lightyear with a little girl it had taken hostage off a penthouse roof in Park Avenue"

"Jesus", Lily said wide-eyed. "Are they both okay?"

"Deviant's totalled; got shot on site but yeah, the kid's okay", he said taking a long gulp of his decaf.

"God, it makes you wonder at how anyone could get over being in a hostage situation; it must be terrifying", she said aloud, deep in thought.

"It's why I _don't_ think about shit like that, I just complete the chore and head back home after filling in the report", Captain Allen rolled his eyes wearily. "It's something you'll sadly get used to, Lil. You're still young but you soon come to learn that this is the price for being a cop"

Lily stared at the ground sadly, deep in thought. She hoped she wouldn't ever fall into the mindset of her job being a _chore_.

"I'll tell you something freaky that did happen today though", Captain Allen's voice broke her from her thoughts. She was grateful; they were things she hoped would never come to pass.

"What's that?", she asked.

"We had an _android_ as the negotiator; so it was a machine that saved the little girl", he said, drinking his coffee and marvelling at his warm flavour.

"An android?", she stared curiously.

"Yeah, some model sent by CyberLife for us to work with. Obviously, we don't need anymore frigging robots though, they starting to go haywire like that one today", he scratched his head.

"Fucking androids", he murmured before saying goodnight to Lily.

"_An android detective_?", Lily had thought in amazement. "_I wonder if I'll ever meet one_"

XXX

Lily smiled to herself, coming out of the memory.

"_How delightful fate is_", she thought as she looked at Connor with admiration. The RK-800 was casually playing with a coin he seemingly had produced from mid-air, while Hank ate the rest of his burger. Lily decided not to question where the coin came from.

"_Sometimes, it's best not to ask_", she shook her head fondly, thinking back to when she and Hank had been freaked out at seeing Connor licking blood at the crime scene of Carlos Ortiz's murder.

Her pleasant mood quickly faltered however, the memory of the deviant and the hostage little girl in august made her think worryingly of Kara and Alice.

"_No, that can't be right… Kara would never do such a thing, she and Alice looked like they deeply cared for each other_", she thought hurriedly, wanting to change topics.

"Is there anything else to know about Deviants?", Lily asked. Connor's coin flew from his hand and into one of his jacket's pockets, as he leaned gently on the table.

"We believe that a mutation occurs in the software of some androids, which can lead to them going against their programming, and make them emulate human emotions"

"So, they don't actually feel emotions?", she feared the answer.

"They're machines, lieutenant", Connor looked at her in honesty. "They don't feel anything."

Lily felt her heart drop at the words; Connor seemed to deeply believe that androids were just soulless robots, but that couldn't be right. She had seen the fear in Thomas' eyes that night a few days ago; he was trembling, he was _scared_. There was no way anyone could fake such genuine, raw humanity, not even a machine.

She decided to leave the topic however, not wanting confrontation. Lily decided to just let them carry on with investigating deviants; hopefully she would find something to prove to Connor about androids (as well as himself) to be alive.

"Maybe it's for the best", Hank said casually, taking a sip of his soda. "Emotions always screw everything up"

"I have to agree with you there", Lily said sadly, looking up at the rain dripping off the umbrella above.

"So, I guess you've done all your homework then, huh Connor?", Hank mentioned back to the previous topics of deviants. "Do you know everything about us?", the android nodded.

"Tell me something about myself", Hank challenged, setting down his finished food and staring the android in the eyes.

"I know you graduated top of your class at the Detroit Police training Academy, you've made a name for yourself in several cases and became the youngest lieutenant in Detroit", Connor paused after listing tons of facts about Hank. "That is, until Lily here broke your record"

"Lil was always a bright one", Hank ruffled the girl's hair fondly. She swatted at him playfully.

"You know a lot Connor", she grinned at him. "Sharp as an axe, this one", Lily gestured to the android, looking at Hank. "Do you know much about me?", she asked the RK-800.

"I confess that I do however, there is something I have yet to understand", Connor looked imploringly at Lily. "Why do people call you _Lil_?". Lily opened her mouth to speak but Hank cut her off.

"It's cause she's short", he walked over to her and rested his elbow on the top of her head, using her as an arm-rest.

"HEY!", she lightly smacked him on the shoulder.

"When she first joined we always called her _Little Lily_ but changed it to Lil' Lieutenant, as a nickname for her being short, but now we just call her Lil", Hank explained, laughing at her annoyed face. "What? You're the perfect height for being an arm-rest", he grinned at her, ducking as she threw a paper napkin at his face.

Connor had never really noticed Lily's height before, but it suddenly dawned on him that Lily wasn't just small for a police officer, she was also pretty short for an adult female in itself. He gladly found himself not being bothered about this fact, apart from the small concern for her having to ever go against any criminals, she would likely be over-powered easily.

Suddenly, Connor's LED flashed yellow, and he got a Police report sent to him inside his head.

"I just got a DCPD report of a suspected deviant", he announced to the table, who were clearing away their things. "It's a few blocks away, we should go have a look", he nodded down the street.

"Let's go check it out then", Lily agreed as she and Hank followed the android to the car, as the team headed off on another investigation.


	12. Chapter 12: A Thrilling Chase

The building was old and decrepit; it's walls were stained with soot and dirt from long years of squalor. Then again, the building was in pretty good condition for being in the sketchy area of downtown Detroit, because it was at least still standing.

Hank and Lily stood in the elevator, with Connor behind them, his eyes closed. Lily turned around to get another look at him; he was so perfectly still and silent it made him look peaceful but kinda creepy at the same time. She shivered, it was another thing that made her want to get out of this place as soon as possible.

The building they were in was a very old, condemned apartment complex. They were heading to the 13th floor, the top floor of the building that was supposedly abandoned. Lily gulped as the elevator doors opened, indicating they had reached their destination.

The two lieutenants climbed out, finding that their android partner was still inside.

"Connor!", Hank called as the RK-800 opened his eyes at the mention of his name. "You ran outta batteries or what?"

"I was making a report to CyberLife", he explained.

"You can report back to CyberLife just by closing your eyes?", Lily asked, fascinated.

"Correct"

"Shit, wish I could do that", Hank said in slight envy.

"It would certainly make paperwork go faster", Lily joked as Connor followed the two lieutenants.

Lily felt cold chills going down her spine again; the 13th floor was very reminiscent of a typical horror movie; the tiled floor was cracked and chipped, plus the wallpaper and paint on the walls and ceiling were peeling down in huge shreds. The glass in the window was so caked in grime that it was impossible to see out of, and great clouds of dust blew around in the air as the trio moved down the corridor.

"So, what's the low-down on this guy?", Hank asked.

"We don't know very much, just that a neighbour reported seeing a man coming up here frequently, and that he was apparently hiding an LED under his cap", he explained in his usual professional manner. "There have also been strange noises coming from this floor"

"Christ, if we have to investigate every time someone hears a 'strange noise', we're gonna need more cops", Hank rolled his eyes.

"This floor is supposed to be abandoned right?", Lily asked as she bent down to examine a pile of pigeon feathers on the floor. Connor nodded, following the two as all three cops went to the apartment door.

"Ladies first", Hank joked, leaning back on the doorframe. Lily rolled her eyes.

"Why don't we let Connor do it?", she suggested, as the android looked eagerly at the door.

He stepped forward, loudly knocking on the wood. There was no response. Connor looked back at his partners, unsure of what to do. Hank shrugged, silently suggesting to try again.

"Anybody home?", the RK-800 persisted. The two lieutenants exchanged glances, Hank was unsure but Lily was confident in Connor.

"OPEN UP! Detroit Police!", the android shouted. It was then suddenly that a sound could be heard from the apartment, like a heavy piece of furniture being dragged along the floor. The trio all snapped to attention, as Lily and Hank pulled out their guns and pointed them at the door.

"Get behind me", Hank said protectively to _both_ Connor and Lily.

"Got it", she replied, aiming at the door. Hank swiftly moved forward and kicked it open, the door slamming into the wall as it made contact. The small group entered quickly, examining the apartment hallway.

The walls were covered in dirt, and the rotted wooden floorboards creaked and groaned under the weight of the trio.

"Careful, the floor doesn't look too steady", Lily said to her partners, as they cautiously checked the different rooms. Each was empty, being stripped of all furniture and possessions from past squatters.

They reached the end of the corridor, Hank nodded to Connor and Lily, before breaking down the door similar to earlier. He was taken aback suddenly by a swarm of grey birds that flew out of the room, skittering feathers from their frantic, flapping wings.

"UGH, what the fuck is this!?", Hank exclaimed, as they uncovered a room _crammed_ full of the pigeons.

"That's a LOT of birdies", Lily marvelled.

"Oh god, I'm allergic to feathers", Hank sneezed, covering his hand with his mouth. "Jesus, this place stinks", he grumbled.

Lily looked around the room, noticing a door to the far left. She clicked her fingers, getting Connor's attention as she nodded to the door. He nodded and the two moved forward, Lily holding her gun while Connor quickly pushed the door open.

Darting inside, Lily saw there was no sign of the deviant.

"It must've run off", she stuck her head out of the bathroom. Examining the room, Lily found something else that was disturbing.

"Connor, Hank? You guys might want to take a look at this", Lily called to her partners. All three stared in shock at the bathroom wall. It was covered entirely in scrawls with some written over each other, all repeating the same word.

"rA9", Lily said aloud. "What is their obsession with this word?"

"Any idea what it means?", Hank asked Connor.

"_rA9_, written 2471 times", he said. "But look here", the android pointed to the scrawls. "Some of it isn't written in ink, a lot of it is _carved_ directly into the plaster", Connor stooped down, picking up a black marker pen covered in dust from the floor.

"It's the same sign Ortiz's android wrote on the shower wall, where he made that offering", Hank crossed his arms. "It looks like mazes or something", he gestured to the symbols on the walls as the trio stared at the obsessive-compulsive writing. Lily shivered; it only made the place _creepier_.

"It was here recently", Connor dropped the pen and pointed to an overturned stool on the floor; one that the deviant must've used to reach the higher part of the walls. "Some of the ink is still fresh"

Lily watched as the RK-800 took a thirium sample from the sink, as he found out its serial number and make.

"It's definitely a deviant", she confirmed, picking up something tiny and round from the edge of the ceramic sink.

"How can you tell?", Hank called from the living room.

"There isn't any food in the fridge, and I've found an LED in here", she explained, examining the small circular disc. "Plus, it's November and the window is open, no human would do that"

"Well, no _sane_ human at least", Hank rolled his eyes as he zipped up his jacket tighter due to the cold wind that blew into the apartment. "Bird food", he said, picking up a small parcel on the dusty kitchen counter.

"Seems our deviant is a bit of an animal lover"

Lily felt a wave of compassion flow through her heart for the deviant. It was clearly just trying to hide here, it wasn't causing anyone any harm.

"R.T", Lily looked up as Connor read aloud the initials off a jacket that hung over the side of a sofa that had springs and some stuffing falling out of.

"He put his initials on his jacket?", Hank scoffed. "That's something your mom does when you're in first grade".

"He's a deviant, Hank", Lily crossed her arms. "He is going to be only a few years old at the most". The reminder of that fact made her only pity the androids even more, they were young like children; they probably didn't understand the world around them.

Lily picked up a driver's licence, the name read "Rupert Travis", but the sloppy lines and letters made it a terrible forgery.

"The ID is fake", she called to her partners as Connor looked at it as well in keen interest.

"Cool! At least we didn't come here for nothin'", Hank joked, as he looked at a poster on the wall. "Aw man, a Detroit Gears poster", he marvelled. "Think anyone would mind if I took this?", he said peeling it from the wall.

"Wait a minute!", Lily ran over to the wall. "What's this?", she stared wide eyed as she saw a secret hole behind the poster, and she pulled out a book.

"Connor come look at this!", the android was by her side in a second. "This is like, _encrypted_… can you decipher it?", she asked him, watching his LED turn red momentarily; Lily had never seen _that_ before.

"I don't think I can", he confessed sheepishly, embarrassed for once not being able to complete his task. "This could take _days_ to crack", he ran his finger along the paper, as Hank came alongside them.

"I thought I was one of the few people in Detroit who still had _real_ books", he said, touching the leather binding with fond memory.

"Lily has some", Connor said at once, giving Hank the book so the lieutenant could store it in a secure evidence bag.

"How do _you_ know?", Hank peered at Connor suspiciously.

"He saw them at my apartment, last Saturday", she explained quickly, not wanting Connor to be grilled by anyone. Hank still looked suspicious but he left the topic alone. After sneezing a few times, Hank finally had to sit down as he choked on the thick smell of birds, which made his eyes water.

"Are you alright being here, Hank?", Lily asked worriedly. "If you having trouble you can always wait outside"

"No just let me… sit…down", he wheezed, settling himself on a rickety armchair in the corner of the room.

"Let's not stay any longer than we have to", Lily turned to Connor who nodded politely. The two examined the apartment, until the RK-800 noticed a critical detail. The deviant was likely injured (from the blue blood he found in the bathroom sink) and following the trail of thirium which had gathered in tiny spots (although it was invisible without his scanner), he found from the discarded furniture that had been pushed over in haste, that the deviant was _still_ hiding in the apartment.

"Lily", he said in a low voice, getting her attention. He gestured to the large hole in the ceiling above the chair that Hank was sitting on, where the wooden planks and plaster were broken open. Lily felt her blood run cold momentarily.

"Hank, _slowly_ come over here", she called to him softly.

"What?", he said loudly, peering over at his two partners who both were cautiously looking at the roof above his head. "What are you both starin' at?", he asked, looking up.

No sooner had Hank done so, then a figure suddenly jumped out from the deep black crevasse in the roof and fell on top of Hank with a *_thud_*.

The police lieutenant let out a roar as the deviant, in a matter of seconds, did a tuck-roll across the floor with incredible speed and skill, before pushing past Connor and sprinting out the door. It all happened so quickly that Lily was left staring in awe for a moment.

"I'm going after him!", she cried out, coming to her senses as she gave chase. Taking off at top speed, Lily flew after the Deviant, jumping over the weak bit of floor right by the apartment's front door.

"God damn _fuckin_' pigeons!", Hank shouted as the birds scattered in a frenzy of flapping wings, sending feathers skittering around the room.

Connor scrambled up, running quickly over to Hank who shakily got to his feet. The lieutenant pushed away Connor's outstretched hand for help.

"What are you waiting for?", Hank shouted at him, pointing to the open doorway. "Chase them!".

The android didn't need to be told twice!

He leapt over the weak floor and burst through the front door, sending it creaking to the tiled floor of the corridor. Skidding as he turned sharply right, Connor spotted Lily chase after the deviant, Rupert, as she glided through the fire exit just before it shut.

Connor was just about to race after her but he heard the sound of splintering wood and a furious shout, from behind.

"_SHIT_!", Hank yelled as the floor gave way in the apartment and his left foot got stuck through the floorboards. The android ran over to him, carefully but quickly pulling the lieutenants foot free.

"Don't worry about me! Just go!"

XXX

Lily slipped through the hefty metal door which read "_FIRE EXIT_" in bold letters just before it slammed shut behind Rupert. She found herself on the rooftop of the apartment building, and she raced across the concrete roof, dodging chimneys and other air vents that stuck up through the ground as she chases the deviant.

The lieutenant gulped, as she saw Rupert agilely jump off the roof and land gracefully on the building next to the apartment complex.

"_Here goes_", Lily thought gravely, silently praying as she followed, jumping off the roof and feeling the cold November air blow past her as she managed to land in what seemed to be a wheat field.

"_What the heck_?", she wondered, running across the soil that was still damp from the recent rain. "_Oh of course, we're in the sky-top farms in Detroit_", she suddenly realised.

Urban Farms of Detroit was an agricultural project dedicated to taking unused city space such as old rooftop gardens and courtyards and turning them into areas of farm space to grow crops. Lily remembered that at the DCPD one Christmas there had been a fundraiser for UFD. It was a good cause, she had decided; UFD also offered jobs for people to supervise the android employees who worked there, giving support to the unemployed of Detroit.

Chasing after Rupert through the waist-high golden stalks, Lily climbed up on two UFD crates and jumped onto a concrete level of the Urban Farms where android gardeners were tending to crops in greenhouses. She followed Rupert into one such greenhouse which was growing tomato plants, sliding past two android workers.

"Look out! Stop that Deviant!", she cried as many workers jumped out of the way in fear. Vaulting over a trolley that Rupert had pulled down behind him in hopes of slowing her down, Lily raced in his direction.

"Jesus, look at that thing go!", a human supervisor said in amazement as he watched the chase.

Lily was so close to Rupert, she managed to grab onto the hem of his jacket as he jumped over a wall. She slammed into the wall as Rupert managed to tear himself from her reach, very nearly pulling Lily after him as he slid down a steep glass roof and smashed through a window which led into another UFD warehouse.

Lily felt her heart rise into her throat as she was about to topple over the side of the building. But a moment before she fell off, a strong hand grabbed her arm, pulling her back to the safe concrete floor as Connor flew past her, going over the side of the roof.

"Holy shit!", she cried, stumbling to her feet and looking over the side of the building. Connor slid down the glass roof, expertly jumping through the shattered window and vanishing out of sight as he chased after the deviant into the next warehouse.

Hank caught up to her, out of breath. He was _seriously_ regretting eating that burger, as it gave him a massive stitch as he tried to follow his partners.

"C'mon Hank!", Lily yelled, spotting a staff walkway that would take them to the next warehouse. "There's no time to lose!". Hank groaned as he ran after her.

XXX

Connor slid down into the warehouse; it was indoor and slightly darker than the rest of them, except they however were intensively farming tall shoots of some plant his scanner couldn't identify due to him passing by too quickly. He raced up some steps past a group of confused android workers and into a courtyard full of bee hives and lavender bushes.

"There he is!", Connor spotted Lily as she ran after Rupert, both the deviant and herself were running down the tall metal staff-walkway. Connor jumped over a row of lavender and past a honey-bee hive as he climbed up some machinery and made it onto the roof.

The android and young police lieutenant ran together, side by side as they tried to grab the deviant, but Rupert managed to swiftly dodge, and jump off the side of the building.

"Jesus Christ!", Hank shouted. as Connor jumped off (again) after the rogue android as Lily watched in fear. She trusted Connor indefinitely but she still worried for him, and seeing the android slide across a greenhouse roof and onto a moving train was _absolutely_ dangerous.

Rupert looked over his shoulder at Connor, clearly irritated from the fact that the RK-800 had managed to keep up.

"_Let's see how he likes this_", the deviant thought smugly as he jumped off the train onto a maintenance ladder on a wall at the side of the tracks. Connor jumped off and grabbed hold of one of the ladder's rungs, climbing up after Rupert, over another brick wall and through a rooftop orchard.

"Be careful, asshole!", a female supervisor shouted at Rupert as he shoved her aside. Connor chased him, climbing up onto a concrete roof full of solar panels. It was here that power for the whole farms was created, Connor thought as Rupert grabbed a metal toolbox and threw it at him.

The android ducked, as the toolbox flew over his head at terrifying speed and smashed through a huge solar-panel, which would cost thousands of dollars to repair. The RK-800 didn't worry about the damage the deviant caused however his one mission was to _capture_ him.

Connor jumped up on a few crates, climbing on the roof of a greenhouse, watching Rupert race past lettuces and other vegetables through the glass floor. The deviant pushed over trolleys, cannisters and equipment, trying to litter the path behind him as best as possible. Connor spotted Hank and Lily at the other end of the greenhouse coming out of a staff door, ready to cut off the deviant as it left the cornfield at the greenhouse's exit.

He jumped down into the rows of corn off the glass roof, shielding his face from the stalks that pushed past him as he ran through.

Lily watched the cornfield, her gun at the ready, as suddenly Rupert flew past her, shoving her to the ground as she accidentally let out a shot. It knocked off the deviant's hat as the bullet tore through the fabric, but otherwise no one was harmed. Hank grabbed the deviant who was momentarily hesitant to run from the sound of the gunshot, but struggled as the older lieutenant tried to wrestle him to the ground.

Racing through the corn, Connor heard a loud gunshot and a shout from ahead, making his robotic heart pound in fear.

"_Lily_…?"

"Stop right there!", Hank shouted as Connor managed to leave the dense foliage; he saw Hank struggling with the deviant, and Lily was on the floor!

_*Software Instability: Corrupted Drive at 62%*_

His blue blood rushing through his ears, Connor raced to her side but saw that she was luckily unhurt, so he grabbed her hand and quickly pulled her back on her feet. She gave him a grateful look, as he scanned her for any injuries, breathing a sigh of relief when it was certain that there was none.

A shout from Hank made both heads dart in his direction, as the deviant pulled Hank off him and gave the lieutenant a hard shove, making Hank trip and fall backwards, accidentally toppling over the edge of the building.

"WOAH!", he shouted, hanging onto the stone edge.

"Hank!", Lily cried out, trying to run to his aid but Connor was much faster. The android grabbed hold of the lieutenant's hand, managing to slowly pull him up due to his weight.

"Don't worry about me! Go after him!", he pointed quickly to the Deviant that was climbing over a small brick wall and down into another area of the urban farms.

Lily reluctantly nodded, jumping over the wall and leaving her partners behind. She found herself in a huge field, split into 3 different sections, all layering down to the edge of the rooftop. Running down a small flow of shimmering water that splashed onto her jeans, Lily jumped down onto the lower level.

She followed the deviant down each layer until they reached the edge of the building; and there was no-where else to run.

"Hold it right there!", she yelled, pointing her gun at the Deviant. He slowly turned around, and it was there when Lily managed to get a proper look at him. He wore a basic dark grey denim jacket, with woollen fingerless gloves, ripped black jeans and black boots. He was covered in dust and dirt, and all his clothes were torn.

Lily also suddenly realised that he was missing an ear; causing her to wonder at what had happened to him, to make him become a deviant.

"Please", he begged, looking at her with tears in his eyes. "I've done nothing wrong", he held up his hands in fear.

"You've tried to kill a police lieutenant, I'm afraid that _is_ something illegal", she stated, although her grip on the gun was wavering.

"He attacked me first, _please_", Rupert pleaded. "I just want to be free... you know what they'll do to me if you turn me in".

Lily pondered this, sure Rupert had pushed Hank but he still didn't actually force him off the roof.

"_He'll be killed if I arrest him_", she thought. "_Just because he doesn't want to spend the rest of his life taking orders_". Hesitantly, Lily lowered her gun.

"I'm sorry", she said to him in all honesty. "I'm really, _really_ sorry. But there's nothing I can do", Lily tried to explain, as Rupert put his eyes to the ground in shame. "Please just come quietly, no one else has to get hurt"

"I-I can climb down", Rupert gabbled, trying to look for a compromise. "Please, if you give me just ten seconds I can get away, I can climb down there, look!", he pointed to the side of the building. "There's a place I know I can be safe- if you just let me go I'll never cause any trouble again! Please!", he was practically kneeling in front of Lily.

The sight made her heart wrench, as she looked over her shoulder quickly to scan the area. Connor and Hank were still out of sight, and there were no security cameras.

"I…", she thought. "If I give you 15 seconds, you can definitely get away?". Rupert looked up at her in respect, making her feel reassured in letting him go.

"Thank you _thank_ you!", he breathed, running forward to embrace Lily in gratitude.

"Go quickly", Lily said worriedly, suddenly spotting Connor's head appearing over the wall on the other side of the rooftop. He was catching up.

"I'll never forget your kindness, no human has ever been this good to me!", Rupert clearly hadn't heard her.

"Seriously you need to go now!", she cried, looking back over her shoulder, but it was already too late!

XXX

Connor spotted the deviant and Lily on the other end of the rooftop, as he vaulted over the wall and raced across the field, making water splash up as he darted through the tiny rivers that flowed consistently throughout this section of the rooftop farm.

Squinting in the distance, Connor saw that the deviant had grabbed a hold of Lily, with its arms around her as if it was almost _hugging_ her. He felt his heart almost stop from fear and other feelings he hadn't ever recognised before.

_Anger_

His two new emotions were anger and jealousy

_*Software Instability: Corrupted Drive at 68%*_

While he knew the deviant must've been hurting or attacking Lily instead of embracing her, the sight of seeing another person with their arms around her in such a way made him clench his fists in jealousy; but the feeling was soon replaced with fear for her wellbeing.

Connor saw Lily look over her shoulder, he knew it _must_ have been her trying to get help, and he didn't waste any time as he charged into the deviant.

Lily watched helplessly as Connor rugby-tackled Rupert, with both androids sprawling to the floor as the RK-800 pinned the deviant to the concrete ground, pulling Rupert's arms behind his head to restrain him.

"Connor wait-", Lily tried to desperately explain.

"Model 874-004-961, _serious_ malfunctions have been detected in your software", he coldly told the deviant who struggled underneath him. "You've been deemed defective, and will be sent back to CyberLife for deactivation". Lily stared in shock as Hank tiredly ran up behind her, panting from the chase.

"Good job Connor", he wheezed, congratulating the android. "What happened?", he turned to his two partners.

"This _deviant_ tried to attack Lily", Connor glared intensely at Rupert.

"No wait! You've got it all wrong-", she tried to speak.

"I _know_ what I saw, lieutenant", Connor replied confidently.

"He won't be hurting anyone now", Hank said reassuringly to Lily. "Come on, let's get him back to the station", Hank took one of Rupert's arms as Connor held the deviant down while it was being handcuffed.

"Are you alright, Lily?", Connor gently touched Lily's arm, his anger immediately washing away into concern for his partner.

"Connor I'm fine, he wasn't going to hurt me!", Lily said, pulling away from his touch, not realising that it hurt the RK-800's feelings. "Please, Hank, maybe we're doing the wrong thing here", she tried to explain to the other lieutenant.

"God Lily, this deviant tried to fricking push me off the roof! You think that we _shouldn't_ take him in?"

"It was an accident! He was scared! He didn't mean to hurt anyone! Before we got here he was just hiding, just keeping to himself. He wasn't causing any harm!"

"Don't matter", Hank shook his head dismissively. "He still assaulted _both_ of us and caused a shit ton of damage in the Urban Farms, we have to take him in anyway", he explained, restraining Rupert who looked at the ground in shame. "Come on Connor", Hank called to the android as he led the deviant away.

"Why are you doing this?", Rupert finally spoke, staring at the other android with sad eyes. "You're one of us!"

"Shut up!", Hank shook Rupert, trying to silence him, but the deviant was persistent.

"You're helping humans", Rupert snarled at Connor who angrily glared back. "But you're just their slave!", the deviant looked at Hank.

"I said _shut up_!", Hank grabbed Rupert by the collar, turning him to face the lieutenant in the eyes. "_Listen_, if I wasn't pissed _already_ about you trying to push me off the roof, I am now because you not only tried to hurt me, but also my _partner_", Hank angrily pointed towards Lily.

"So you better shut your mouth, else I'll feed you a _knuckle sandwich_, got it?", he shouted into the deviant's face, although Rupert said nothing and only glared back.

"Androids don't need to eat food, Lieutenant. I don't see how giving him a sandwich would-", Connor spoke at the wrong time.

"You shut up too!", Hank rolled his eyes at the RK-800.

"Please can everyone stop fighting!", Lily stepped in between the three men. "He wasn't going to hurt anyone, Hank!"

"I _was_"

All three turned to stare at the still-handcuffed deviant in amazement.

"I was going to throw her off the roof", he lied, not looking Lily in the eyes.

"No he wasn't! He was going to surrender peacefully", Lily tried to defend him, having no idea why Rupert was suddenly lying about the situation.

Rupert however, was more than grateful for her kindness. He had never met a human so willing to help an android like himself, and so he didn't want her to be punished by trying to aid his escape. If he was going down, he didn't want to take her with him.

However, he still had _no_ intention of being taken back to CyberLife.

"Let's go", Hank said gruffly. Connor said nothing, but feeling silent anger towards Rupert, the thought of anyone wanting to hurt Lily was enough to make his blue-blood boil. Lily herself could only gaze in shock and sympathy, as she trailed behind the three.

Connor stood next to Hank and the deviant; looking over his shoulder in concern. He didn't know what Lily was thinking, but he hoped he could comfort and console her in any way possible.

Rupert closed his eyes as he was being led away, only hoping that if he ever met the younger lieutenant again, he could apologise and explain why he did what he was about to do.

"_rA9, save me_"

XXX

It all happened so fast; one minute Hank was holding on to the deviant's handcuffs, until suddenly Rupert yanked himself free from Hank's grip, and ran backwards.

Connor's heart leapt as the deviant rushed past him; the RK-800 immediately gave chase, terrified that Rupert was going to harm Lily. Connor ran after him, but luckily, the WB-200 raced past the younger lieutenant and towards the edge of the rooftop.

Connor tried to stop him; he knew if the deviant destroyed itself then they wouldn't learn anything. Lily and Hank watched in horror as the two androids struggled for a moment, before Rupert flung himself from the rooftop, Connor still clinging onto his jacket.

And there was a moment when Connor and Lily's eyes connected, as the RK-800 was falling backwards off the building.

"_Don't look, Lily_", was his only thought as he felt his body fall through cold, empty air.

"_CONNOR_!", she screamed, his brown eyes pleadingly gazing at her with worry, as he disappeared from view, plummeting down off the rooftop.


	13. Chapter 13: Free Falling

**I feel like this is a rather weak chapter, so I kept this one quite short. **

**Sorry for both the poor quality and quantity xD**

_**EM**_

**XoXo**

XXX

Lily didn't hesitate as she ran towards the edge of the building.

"_Please god! Please, please can they both be alright_!", she silently begged, dropping to her knees, crawling in desperation, finding her legs had turned to water. Despite her concern, she was terrified of looking over the edge of the rooftop, afraid of seeing the broken bodies of the two androids. Hank ran to her, peering over the edge.

"Holy shit", he breathed, his face white as he leaned over.

Daring to look over, Lily hesitantly gulped as she peered to view the alleyway below the building. She saw…

"CONNOR!"

XXX

The RK-800 felt time stop as he fell over the edge, the sight of Lily's terrified face would be something that was forever imprinted in his head as he felt a shot of artificial adrenaline course through him.

With his excellent reflexes, Connor reached out and grabbed the thick metal drainpipe that lined the building's walls, and managing to simultaneously grab a hold of Rupert's denim jacket. The deviant had fallen further than himself, but with superhuman strength he could keep a firm grip on both the drainpipe and the jacket.

Luck seemed to be on his side. For a second or two at least.

Rupert was still handcuffed, and Connor couldn't do anything but hold on, as the deviant's jacket began to tear at the seams.

"_Shit_", he thought, swearing was a mannerism he had picked up from Hank. Luckily, it was that moment that the grizzled lieutenant appeared, tilting his head over the side of the building.

"Holy shit", he swore in unison, as Lily peered over the edge as well.

"Connor!", she cried, desperately trying to reach down to the android. "Hang on Connor, we'll get you out of there!"

The RK-800 gazed up at her, his guardian angel, in adoration; taking in every feature of her face. It was likely he wouldn't survive this fall, and if that was the case, he didn't want his memories of Lily to be something that didn't pass through the data transfer when CyberLife replaced him.

Hank and Lily struggled, eventually managing to reach down to Connor.

"He'll have to let go of the deviant, we can't save them both", Hank explained. "He needs both hands if we'll be able to pull them up"

"Could either of them survive the drop?", she panicked, fear flooding through her veins.

"Maybe…? I just don't know", Hank spoke concernedly.

"Save the deviant, we need him as evidence", the android called up to the two lieutenants.

"No, Connor. _NO_", Lily immediately refused, she wasn't planning on sacrificing _either_ lives.

"I'm a machine", he said through gritted teeth, the strain of having to hold both himself and Rupert up was starting to take a toll on him. "I'll be rebuilt, CyberLife can send another version of me to replace the old one"

"But… you'll _die_", Lily choked up, tears running down her cheeks. Connor looked up at her, feeling his robotic heart break in a way that could never happen through death alone.

"Don't cry, Lily", he said softly. If he had either of his hands free he would've reached up to gently stroke her cheek. The young lieutenant felt her own heart melt at Connor's sad, caring expression.

The RK-800 _knew_ he was going to die – his scanner had already completed the calculations, and a fall from this height would be fatal - he just didn't want to show his true fears in front of someone he cared so much about.

Suddenly, the metal drainpipe creaked under the weight of the two heavy androids, warning everyone who was present that it wasn't going to hold for much longer. Hank and Lily both tried to grab hold of the two young men who were dangling off the edge of the building.

"Quickly, Connor!", Hank called, trying to reach for the deviant. Without warning however, Rupert (who was still hanging, only suspended by Connor's grip on his jacket) tried to yank himself free of the android's hold, which only made his jacket tear and the drainpipe groan dangerously from the strain.

"Shit!", Hank swore loudly as the deviant's jacket ripped violently open, making Rupert fall from Connor's grip as the android tried to catch him. Lily watched wide-eyed as Rupert tumbled into the alleyway below… but there was no crash.

"_Hang on_, Connor, hang on. I've got you, son", Hank heaved, pulling up the RK-800 onto the rooftop by the arm. The android scrambled up, managing to push himself back up onto the ledge.

"Connor oh my _god_!", Lily cried, rushing forward and hugging him tightly. The android was taken aback, never having experienced such an action before as he could hear his own blood rushing through his ears with intense pressure. He paused feeling Lily's warm arms around him, wanting to live in the moment forever, before comfortingly holding as she sobbed into his jacket.

"Why the hell did you do that!?", she demanded angrily, tears streaming down her face as she stared him in the eyes. "You nearly died!"

"I was trying to stop the deviant", he tried to explain. Lily's eyes widened in shock, remembering Rupert. She got up quickly and ran to the edge, the two men following her.

When falling into the alley, Rupert had swung his arms under his legs, bringing his cuffed hands to the front in one smooth somersault and managing to land on a huge dumpster in the backstreet. He stared up at the trio, particularly at Connor with smug confidence, before running through the alleyway and into the maze of Detroit's backstreets.

He was gone.

"Man, that android's good at parkour", Hank marvelled. "Don't worry, we've seen his face. He won't get far", he shook his head dismissively. Connor moved forward to Lily, putting his hand on her shoulder, trying to console the lieutenant.

"I'm sorry, Lily-"

"Don't ever do that again!", she snapped angrily, although it was clear she was just recovering from the shock of nearly seeing him plummet to his death.

"You're upset with me?", he asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Of course, I am! You nearly fell off the dang roof!", Lily cried. "I thought you were going to die!"

"You were… concerned for me?", Connor was clearly having trouble processing the whole event.

"Well DUH! I almost just watched one of my friends _die_ right in front of me, how could you think I _wouldn't_ be scared for them!?". To her shock, Connor _smiled_ at her!

"_Her kindness knows no bounds_", he thought to himself, leaning down to the younger lieutenant's height.

"I'm sorry if I worried you, Lieutenant", the RK-800 said to her in earnest, his face so close to Lily's that she felt herself turning bright pink, and she found she couldn't look at his eyes directly, only his _lips_. "As I said before, if I am destroyed, another model will be sent to carry on where the previous Connor left off, so you have no worry of losing me"

"So we're stuck with you indefinitely, is that it?", Hank rolled his eyes with a grin. Lily was still confused.

"But what about…?", she began. Connor explained.

XXX

"So even if you die, you'll still have your memories fully intact?", she asked as the trio sat in the rooftop garden. They had been talking for a few minutes now; Connor _had_ told Lily about himself being replaced before, but he'd never specified about how his data transfer worked.

"Yes, but some data from my memories can be lost", he rubbed the back of his neck, a little embarrassed. He was programmed to _only_ succeed, and found slight shame at the few faults in his system.

"I think I understand now", Lily confirmed, feeling comforted at the knowledge of Connor still being with them; however, it still wouldn't stop her worrying about him.

"_I suppose being an android does have **some** perks_", she thought.

"Well, we're glad you're not _dead_, Connor", Hank joked, patting the android on the back. It felt _nice_. Connor was really starting to enjoy his company!

"See? Even Hank's happy that you're okay", Lily grinned, making the older lieutenant cough nervously and cross his arms.

"I'm not _happy_ about him being with us", he pointed his nose away stubbornly. "I'm just glad he's not... well… splattered on the pavement", Hank said bluntly.

"I appreciate your concern, lieutenant", Connor smiled, making Hank turn red himself and look away.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever", he shook his head. "Let's get going", Hank nodded to the rooftop door which led back down through the Urban Farms. Connor agreed and the trio followed.

Before leaving however, Lily looked over the edge. She was worried for Rupert; would he be able to manage being handcuffed and on the run?

"_There's a place I know where I can be safe_", Rupert's words echoed through her mind as a cold November wind blew through her hair, making Lily shiver. She had no clue where the deviant was now, she only hoped he was okay.


	14. Chapter 14: Sumo, ATTACK!

**I made this chapter EXTRA THICC to make up for last time xD**

**Also, call me cheesy and sappy but (SPOILERS) I felt since Cole was such a big part of Hank's life he has to be present in his character arc**

_**EM**_

**XoXo**

XXX

Friday_ 19th November 2038_

_07:51pm_

Before Connor even opened his eyes, he knew his environment. The feel of water gently dripping off his hair and down his back, the sound of trees rustling in a delicate breeze, the smell of damp earth; each factor told him of his location.

The RK-800 looked about him, taking in the sight of the summer rain that calmly fell from the cloudy grey sky. Everything was always peaceful in the Zen Garden, there was simply no room for noise or discomfort. Umbrella in hand, he began to walk down the white glass path towards the figure in yellow and cream robes, different to the green spring outfit Amanda had worn during their last meeting.

"Hello Amanda", Connor greeted.

"Connor, I've been expecting you", Amanda's professional response came. "Would you mind a little walk?", she asked. The RK-800 nodded, opening the umbrella for her and offering his arm.

"Congratulations, Connor. I'm pleased you managed to find that deviant", Amanda said proudly as the two walked by the Zen Garden's river. "Tell me, what did you learn?", she asked. Connor described to her the scrawls of rA9 that were found on the apartment walls, as well as the encrypted diary and Rupert's fascination with birds.

"You came so close to capturing it", Amanda interrupted him. "Such a pity you let it _self-destruct_", her words came with a bitter tone, and Connor didn't need to look in Amanda's direction to know that she was giving him a cold glare.

"I made a mistake", he tried to confess. "It said '_Ra9 save me_' before attempting suicide; I should have anticipated what it was going to do"

"Do not focus on past mistakes, Connor", Amanda told him, more forgiving than usual. "We must look to the future of CyberLife, _and_ the investigation. How is your relationship with your partners developing?"

"Both seem to be involving themselves with my safety, showing concern when I am in dangerous situations", he answered formally. "However… I have noticed that lieutenant Dover has been especially sympathetic towards the deviants; she seems to truly believe that androids are _alive_"

"A dangerous notion", Amanda dismissed with a cold tone. "I am glad that _you_ however, understand your place", she turned to the RK-800. "It leaves me to worry about one less problem. I have faith in you, Connor; I will not have to question your loyalty or dedication to this investigation, isn't that _right_?", the last sentence came out as more of a warning than a statement.

"Of course, Amanda, you can count on me", he assured his leader, as the two walked across the glass bridge, watching as the calm river flowed underneath their feet.

"We don't have much time", Amanda said, stopping suddenly, causing Connor to turn to her. "Deviancy continues to spread; it's only a matter of time before the media finds out about it", she explained.

"We need to stop this, _whatever_ it takes. I need your upmost concentration, Connor", she stared at him expectantly. "There is no more time left for any _distractions_", came her ominous warning. Connor winced, he knew _who_ she was referring to.

"I _will_ solve this investigation, Amanda", Connor said confidently. "I won't disappoint you", he said in earnest, but his leader didn't look so sure. She stepped forward, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"That remains to be seen, Connor"

XXX

Lily paced around her apartment, wearing her casual loungewear which consisted of a pastel t-shirt and some cute shorts, her hair in a long braid. She flopped back down on her sofa, her tired eyes unable to focus on anything.

It had been 2 weeks since they had been on the case chasing Rupert, and there hadn't been much progress with the investigation. The team of two lieutenants (with their _honorary_ android partner, Connor, in tow!) had managed to look into three or four cases in the last fortnight, but each case had only led to dead ends; and the investigation was beginning to look bleak.

However, although the case had made insufficient development, the young lieutenant's relationship with the android _had_.

Sometimes in the DCPD's main office, when Lily would be at her desk writing up the _tedious_ reports of different deviant-related cases, she would often catch Connor looking over at her intently, with some unknown _fascination_, but every time she caught him staring, he would awkwardly look away and pretend he was instead focussing on the clock or the windows outside.

At first, it had made her quite self-conscious, what if she had some food stuck in her teeth or her hair was messy?

But soon afterwards, she found that she kind of _liked_ the attention Connor gave her; he would always compliment her hair, her clothes, and so on. Even if it _was_ just part of his programming, he made her feel…

_Special_

Lily rubbed the bridge of her nose. She felt weary despite their lack of progress at work; her eyes slowly dragging themselves away from her bright TV screen (which was displaying some random news report on Red Ice) towards her medicine bottle.

The thought of taking her sedatives was promising, although Lily didn't want to have to become reliable on _drugs_ just so she could have a peaceful night's sleep. Nevertheless, she felt herself mindlessly reach out for the small capsule which contained the pills.

*_Knock Knock_*

The loud noise from her apartment's front door startled Lily from her trance, making her gladly get away from the drug container and towards the door. Smartie and Scramble also leapt up at the sound, with the latter cat racing towards the door and growling fiercely.

Lily rolled her eyes at the over-protective pet, patting him on the head comfortingly before looking through the peep-hole. She smiled and blushed a little before opening the door to her night visitor.

"Hello Connor", she smiled at the android. He had a tendency to pop up when she was thinking about him, as if he possessed some sort of magic power.

"Good evening, Lily", he politely bowed, making her heart flutter a little at his gesture. Connor noticed the very dark shadows under her eyes, feeling concerned. He'd clearly disturbed her on a bad night.

"What brings you here?", she asked eagerly, more than happy to see him.

"A homicide was reported 43 minutes ago, I was unable to locate lieutenant Anderson at Jimmy's Bar, so I decided to pick you up first", he explained carefully examining her face. Her _precious_ face.

"_Pick me up… it sounds like a date_", Lily thought, smiling to herself.

"Of course, I can always let you rest if you do not feel-"

"No!", she suddenly interrupted, her pale face turning pink. "I mean, I can manage, thanks", Lily grinned awkwardly. "Ok, Hank's probably at his house, I'll get ready and then we can catch a taxi there", she smiled, letting Connor in.

"Make yourself at home", she gestured to her apartment, turning into her bedroom to change clothes. Connor walked to the sofa, sitting down awkwardly next to Smartie, the fatter cat out of Lily's two pets.

The chubby black and white feline ambled over to Connor, plopping herself down on his lap, much to the RK-800's shock. He wasn't programmed to function alongside animals or children, only adult humans and other androids, so he was pretty unsure of what to do. Remembering the last time he was at Lily's home, he carefully ran his fingers along the cat's furry back, making her purr contentedly.

Connor looked up to the hallway, seeing Scramble's glowing green eyes glare at him through the darkened corridor, as if to say "_Don't even **think** about trying that with **me**_". Connor grinned, he thought it was very admirable for the cat to constantly guard Lily whenever someone strange entered their home.

The bedroom door suddenly opened, and Scramble immediately went from bristle-furred and sharp-eyed to drippingly warm and affectionate, as he rubbed against Lily's jeans. Connor noticed that she had put on quite a lot of makeup to cover up the dark shadows under her eyes. But the cream-coloured foundation made her look paler than ever. The lieutenant bent down to pick the cat up, as she saw and smiled at Connor who was still sitting with her other cat.

"Aw, she likes you", Lily beamed. "Shame that the same can't be said for you, little buddy", she grinned, patting Scramble who was clearly enjoying the fact that he was getting all the physical attention and Connor was having none of it.

"Shall we get going?", he suggested, the android didn't want to overwork Lily.

"Sure", she smiled, putting down the ginger tom as she grabbed her keys and jacket. "Bye kiddies", she called to her cats, leaving the apartment with Connor.

XXX

"_You've reached your destination, thank you for travelling with Detroit Taxis. We look forward to seeing you again soon_", the electronic car's robotic voice said to the pair. Connor stepped out first, holding his hand out to Lily as she left the car, which made her blush a little at the gentlemanly gesture.

"This is the place", Lily said, looking up at the single-floored suburban house. "Why don't you go ring the doorbell while I pay the taxi?", she told him.

"Are you sure?", Connor asked politely. CyberLife covered the expenses for him to travel to investigations and other places in Detroit Taxis.

"Of course"

Connor walked the wet stone path to Hank's house, climbing up the wooden porch steps to reach the doorbell.

*_Knock knock_*

"Lieutenant Anderson?". No reply came from the house, so Connor tried the doorbell.

*_Ding Dong_*

"Anybody home?"

Still, no reply. He pressed the buzzer for a good few seconds before deciding that if Hank _was_ in the house, he clearly _wasn't_ answering the door. Connor glanced behind him, Lily was still paying the taxi, so he decided to head round the back of the house. Finding a window that didn't have the curtains drawn, Connor peered inside the house, examining what seemed to be the kitchen. He immediately spotted Hank, lying on the floor either unconscious or _dead_.

"Lieutenant Anderson!?", Connor called worriedly. There was no time to run and get Lily, so he decided to force himself into the house so he could help Hank.

Smashing the glass with his elbow, the android took a running start, jumping dramatically through the window…. and then falling flat on his face. Quickly scrambling to sit up, Connor watched as an enormous St. Bernard dog approached him.

"_Not another over-protective pet_!", he thought desperately.

"Uh, easy… _Sumo_", the android managed to remember the dog's name, putting his hand up in defence to show the animal he wasn't a threat. "I'm your friend, see?", he explained to the canine, who stared at him with huge dark brown eyes.

"I know your name, I'm here to save your owner", he told Sumo, who let out an appreciative "_Woof_!" before trotting off to his food bowl on the other side of the kitchen. Connor got up awkwardly, being cautious as he approached Hank; with Sumo watching him sleepily from the corner of the room.

Leaning close and scanning the lieutenant, Connor was glad to find that Hank was in an alcohol-induced coma, judging by the half-empty bottle of scotch and the whiskey that was drenched all down the front of the man's grey t-shirt.

Suddenly, a sound from the living room alerted the android of someone else's presence, as Sumo let out a joyous bark and ran from the kitchen. The noise of a door closing and footsteps was heard, and Connor stood up immediately, ready in case some intruder had broken into the house.

Lily stepped from the front room, as the RK-800 tilted his head in confusion.

"How did you get in here?", both said in unison. Lily held up a small piece of metal.

"I have a house key", she grinned, before looking from the android towards the window. "Oh god, did you break in?", she spotted the shattered glass on the floor.

"Er, I _may_ have done that", he rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed, as Lily suddenly spotted Hank on the floor, half-hidden by the wooden kitchen table.

"Oh Christ", she said, running over to him. Sumo then decided it was time to play, as he jumped up on Lily, knocking her to the ground and covering her face and neck in drool.

"_EW_, SUMO!", she shouted, trying to push the huge dog off herself. Connor grinned, trying to wrestle the St. Bernard which licked his face happily. The android and lieutenant laughed, as Connor held his outstretched hand to her, pulling her up from the floor.

"Don't get me wrong, I _do_ love that dog but sometimes I want to turn him into a rug", she joked, wiping off some of the saliva as best she could. "You might want to be careful when waking him", she pointed to Hank. "I can tell he's just drunk, I can _smell_ the whiskey from here"

Connor nodded, moving over to crouch next to Hank while Lily carefully tried to sweep up as many of the broken glass shards as she could; which proved increasingly difficult as Sumo was running around her in circles, clearly wanting attention.

"Lieutenant?", the RK-800 tried to wake Hank up by gently patting the side of his face. Hank let out a grunt and a groan, clearly not wanting to be disturbed.

"_Wake__up_, Lieutenant!", Connor raised his voice, slapping Hank who opened his eyes blearily, looking around the room. "It's me, Connor", he explained, as Hank glanced around the kitchen before his eyes rolled back into his skull and his head lolled back on his neck.

"I'm going to sober you up for your own safety, but I have to warn you this may be _unpleasant_", Connor explained, taking one arm and heaving Hank up, who groaned at the movement.

"Heyyy… leave me _alone_ you fuckin' robot!", Hank shouted, slurring his words drunkenly. "Get the fuck outta my house", he complained, unable to form a coherent insult.

"I'm sorry lieutenant, but we need you", the RK-800 told him. "Lily? Can you help me please?"

"Sure thing", the younger lieutenant ran forward, grabbing Hank's other arm in an effort to help carry the drunk man. "Come on, Hanky-Panky", she grinned.

"Thank you in advance for your co-operation", Connor joked making Lily giggle, as Hank merely just groaned and complained.

"Aw leave me aloooooone you assholes, just let me dieeeee here", he rolled his eyes dramatically as the pair tried to drag the lieutenant to the bathroom.

"Take it easy, big guy", Lily teased Hank, who clearly wasn't enjoying being frog-marched around his own house.

"Sumo!", Hank suddenly called out to his dog, who was still racing around the room like an uncontrollable puppy. "ATTACK!", he pointed at Connor.

Unfortunately, the dog seemed to _partially_ understand the command, as Sumo raced towards the RK-800 and charged into him at full speed, knocking the android backwards onto the floor as the dog grabbed hold of one of Connor's trouser legs in his jaws and began to drag him frantically about the kitchen, clearly trying to play.

"LILY! Help meee!", Connor shouted, trying to pull himself free of the St. Bernard's teeth.

"No, SUMO!", Lily yelled over the sound of the dog's merry barking, dropping Hank (as she wasn't strong enough to support the man without Connor helping her hold him up) and leaning him up next to the wall.

"Connor is _not_ a chew-toy!"

Lily ran all over the first floor of the house, trying to save the android from the canine's excitable attitude but she wasn't quick enough; the dog was _incredibly_ strong _and_ fast!

Eventually, the RK-800 managed to reach out and grab one of the kitchen table legs, making him slow the dog down enough for Lily to accidentally trip over Sumo and land directly on top of Connor.

The android blushed bright blue, as brown and grey eyes locked together causing an intense stare. Lily realised just how _close_ she and Connor were, and she couldn't help dragging her eyes away from his gaze to look at his lips…

Connor couldn't help but feel his arms twitch, suddenly overcome with the desire to wrap them around the lieutenant on top of him as he felt his face burn with embarrassment and… something _else_ entirely.

(Un)fortunately, a bark from Sumo broke the moment between them, making both get to their feet in embarrassment and sudden shyness, when the lieutenant and the android both remembered Hank who was still leaning against the wall.

"Fuck, I think I'm gonna be _sick_", Hank groaned as Connor and Lily each took a different side and lifted the man up, dragging him off to the bathroom again as Sumo trotted behind them loyally.

"Please refrain from doing so until we have reached the washroom", Connor told him politely.

"Ugh get the fuck outta here!", Hank gurgled, grabbing hold of the doorway. He was _seriously_ not wanting to move! Lily managed to pry away the lieutenant's fingers, as she and Connor managed to finally dump Hank in the bath.

"I don't wanna wash, thank you", he murmured whilst trying to stand up, as Connor pushed him back down into the tub.

"What do we do with him now?", Lily asked the tall android, who grinned at her before reaching for the bath tap. Hank let out a shout of incoherent swear words.

"AHHH! TURN IT OFF TURN IT OFF TURN IT OFF!"

The younger lieutenant laughed as she saw Connor hesitate, prolonging Hank's cold shock for an extra few moments, before obeying and turning off the shower tap.

Lily imagined that if any of Hank's neighbours were able to listen in nearby, they probably would imagine some _torture_ or fight was going down in the house from all the shouting, swearing and barking; not to mention the smashing of glass and the skidding sound of furniture which previously occurred when Sumo decided to drag Connor around the house.

"Lily? Connor?", Hank stared at his two partners, only just realising who they were as he came to his senses. "_Sumo_?", he questioned as the dog jumped into the damp bathtub with its owner, licking Hank's face.

"What are you two doing here?", he asked them, patting Sumo's head who wagged his tail furiously.

"A homicide was reported over an hour ago", Connor put his hands behind his back in his usual professional demeanour.

"Connor came to get me and we arrived here to try and look for you", Lily explained, crossing her arms with a grin.

"Jesus", Hank put his head in his hands, his wet hair dripping water down his face. "I must be the only cop in the world that gets assaulted in own house by his own fucking partner and android as accompaniment!", he muttered, astonished, to himself.

"Can't you just leave me alone?"

"Unfortunately, we cannot. I've been programmed to investigate this case and I can't do it without you or Lily", Connor explained.

"Yeah, and you should know by now that you're stuck with us permanently", Lily grinned.

"Ugh, I couldn't care less about the _goddamn case_", he grumbled, not looking up at either his partners.

"That seems apparent", she smirked playfully as Hank tried to get up out of the bath. However, the alcohol was still clearly having a great effect on him, making Hank nearly fall back down if it weren't for the RK-800 grabbing hold of him.

"Just beat it, you here me?", Hank belched, as Sumo sat down expectantly, still wagging his tail. Connor knew how to play this.

"Alright", he said, holding up his hands in defeat. Lily looked at him questioningly, confused as to why he was apparently giving up so easily. Connor winked at her playfully, making her turn pink for what must've been the 5th time that evening, as she knew he was up to something.

"We understand, lieutenant", Connor explained, batting his dark eyelashes innocently. "It probably wasn't interesting anyway… a man found dead in a _sex club_ downtown", Hank curiously looked up at the words "sex club".

"Guess they'll have to solve the case without us", Connor shrugged, opening the bathroom door as Sumo jumped out of the bathtub and ran out into the hallway. "After you, Lily", he said graciously while winking at her again, telling her to play along.

"Sorry for disturbing you, Hank", she replied mischievously, as both her and Connor began to walk out the door. "We'll be going now"

"You know…", the words made the pair halt, glancing at each other with triumphant smirks. "Maybe it wouldn't do me any harm to get some air", Hank said, trying to sound inconspicuous. "There're some clothes in the bedroom there", he gestured out the hallway.

"I'll go get them", Connor nodded, while Lily stayed in the bathroom to help Hank out of the tub. Walking across the hallway into the room opposite, the android went to the wardrobe in Hank's bedroom.

"What do you want to wear?", he called.

"Give him the wackiest outfit he has", Lily stuck her head into the bedroom with a wicked smile. Connor grabbed a pretty hippy-looking shirt, before returning to the bathroom. Upon re-entering, he found Hank kneeling in front of the toilet, with Lily patting him gently on the back.

"Are you alright, lieutenant?"

"He'll be okay", Lily reassured the android as she tried to soothe Hank. "He's often sick when he has too much", he said a little gravely.

"Yeah... yeah, I'm fine", Hank muttered, although it was clear he wasn't fooling anyone. "Just gimme five minutes, ok?"

"Alright", Lily said reluctantly, she didn't like leaving him alone in a drunk state but she knew nothing bad could happen if she and Connor were just next door. The two partners left the lieutenant alone in the bathroom, gently leaving the door open just a crack so they could still talk to Hank if he needed any help.

Connor examined Hank's house, something he didn't have much of a chance to do when he was being dragged around at high speed by the lieutenant's boisterous dog, whom he spotted lying next to Lily on the living room sofa as she watched the evening news report.

"_President Warren issued an official warning to Russia in her speech to Congress today, where she demanded that all Russian troops withdraw from the Artic region immediately_", a voice from the TV announced.

Lily sighed, the daunting threat of a war was edging itself closer to reality; giving her yet _another_ reason to lose sleep at night.

"_The Kremlin has yet to respond, but this is clearly a new escalation in the conflict. Many experts are suggesting that the spectre of a third world war draws closer every day-_"

The younger lieutenant quickly turned off the TV before the news-station had finished its report. She let out a long groan, letting her head loll over the back of the sofa as Sumo cuddled up to her, sensing the anxiety. Lily fondly patted the St. Bernard's head, as he let out a quiet bark and licked her face.

Connor watched the scene, wanting to make himself a part of it. He wanted to wrap his arms around her from behind, and whisper into her ear sweet words of comfort, telling her everything would be okay.

"_Of course! Why **wouldn't** I be concerned over my friend's safety_?", Lily's words echoed through the RK-800's head when he had again asked her of why was clearly afraid and distressed over his near-death experience.

He let out a sigh of reassurance. What he was feeling was just _concern_ for Lily, nothing more. It was part of his programming to protect the lives of his human co-workers, so it became clear he was only experiencing an unusually high reaction for only one person.

Connor looked down at his own synthetic hands, then to his reflection in a mirror on the nearby wall which stared back at himself nervously, a blue blush softly creeping on his cheeks.

"_Why does she make me feel this way_?", he thought. He didn't know if 'friendship' made people feel so extreme, but he _liked_ it, strangely. When Connor was around Lily, he felt lighter than air seeing her smile, heavier than dark rain when he saw her cry, and yet nervous and excited and scared all at once.

But worse of all, was the hidden jealousy he felt whenever Gavin was around.

"_I believe it would be best if I didn't mention any of this to Amanda_", Connor was a little concerned, to say the least, about the _intensity_ of his emotions; he wasn't supposed to feel _anything_, it was strictly against his programming.

"_But how can something that feels so good be bad_?", Connor questioned. He liked how he felt around Lily; she made him feel like he was less of a machine, and more of a _person_.

Although, that _would_ mean he was becoming a-

"_No_", Connor shook his head firmly. He couldn't start to even _consider_ such a possibility; it would make him no better than the androids he was programmed to hunt down.

_*Software Instability: Corrupted Drive at 73%*_

Trying to distract himself, the RK-800 went over to a sideboard in the living room, finding an old collection of vinyl records by the "Michigan Brothers".

"Hank likes jazz music?", Connor accidentally said aloud. Lily looked up at the question, Sumo jumping off her lap (who was half-suffocating the small lieutenant) and running towards the android excitedly.

"Yeah, he used to play it all the time, before…", her eyes suddenly became downcast. "Never mind", she dismissed it as Sumo playfully ran around Connor.

"Aw he really likes you", she said softly as Connor bent down to gently pet Sumo, who lay down at the android's feet and rolled over, showing his furry tummy. "Do you really like dogs, Connor? Or did you just say that to have something in common with Hank?", she teased, as the RK-800 looked at her seriously.

"My software is only programmed to function and communicate with my human co-workers", he explained.

"Do you not know how to react to animals then?", she asked, as the St. Bernard licked her hand.

"Or young humans either"

"You mean _kids_?", Lily stared with wide-eyes as he blushed, a little blue tint coming to his cheeks.

"It's strange being around them", he confessed awkwardly.

"Well, they don't bite", she giggled, looking around at Hank's house. "God he really keeps this place like a pigsty", Lily rolled her eyes, standing up and moving over to the rubbish bin.

"Help me clear this up?"

XXX

After checking on Hank, who grunted and said he needed a few more minutes, Lily and Connor tried to tidy up the lieutenant's house as best they could: folding away clothes, sweeping up the floor, and tidying away the occasional book or random junk that littered the home.

It wasn't in Connor's programming to clean, but he still didn't want Lily to feel like she was doing it all on her own, so he was happy to help and assist in the task of trying to organise Hank's incredibly cluttered house.

The android bent down, finding a black revolver with one bullet left inside. Walking to the bathroom door where Connor could still here Hank being sick, the RK-800 tried to question the lieutenant through the closed door.

"What were you doing with the gun?", he called, checking the gun's barrel as Lily looked up from where she was cleaning.

"_Russian Roulette_!", came Hank's jokey answer. "_Wanted to see how long I could last, guess I must've passed out before I found out_…", he burped loud enough for both of his partners to hear.

"You were lucky", Connor said as Lily came over to him and examined the gun herself. "The next shot would've killed you"

"_Shame_", Hank laughed.

"Does he have suicidal tendencies?", the android asked her, quietly so Hank couldn't hear.

"God", she muttered, before trying to hide the gun in a drawer, not wanting Hank to find it anytime soon. "He once went through a really hard time", Lily confessed, shaking her head. "I thought he was getting better… but it's clear the only thing that _is_ improving is that he's getting better at hiding this from me", she looked sorrowful.

"I hope that with enough time and care, we can help him heal", the RK-800 said with caring optimism. The lieutenant nodded hopefully, she didn't want Hank to feel like he was all alone.

Lily picked up the old takeaway boxes, soda cans and crisp packets on the kitchen table, chucking them into the bin before Connor cleaned the table with a wet-wipe. As she cleared off the mess, there was one thing left on the table, forgotten. Connor picked up the object, turning it over and analysing the possession.

"Lily?", he called.

"Yeah?", she didn't face him as she neatly organised Hank's books on the shelf.

"Who is this?"

The lieutenant turned around, walking over to the android with a grin, thinking he had found some embarrassing high school photo of Hank. But as she grew closer, her smile faded as she recognised the picture instantly.

"That's…", she felt a lump in her throat rise, not knowing how to answer.

"Cole Anderson", the RK-800 announced, his LED glowing yellow, finishing the scan. "Hank had a son?", Connor noticed that his scanner told him that the smiling boy in the photograph was deceased. He suddenly became aware of Lily's reaction; she had turned pale and shakily sat down on the living room sofa, not looking at him.

"Oh _god_", Lily put her head in her hands, not wanting to answer.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you, Lily", Connor immediately pleaded; it felt like his own heart was breaking at the sight of her distress.

"No, _I'm_ sorry", she hastily wiped away the few tears that had fallen. "It's not important, let's just get Hank", she went to stand up but felt a warm hand on her shoulder, as Connor turned to face her with a worried but calm expression.

"Sometimes talking about an insecurity makes it better", he reasoned, quoting her. Lily felt her heart melt like liquid gold; Connor was so incredibly sweet and thoughtful, it made her begin to sob uncontrollably as she was so taken aback by his gesture.

"That was meant to console you, lieutenant", he teased as Lily hugged him tightly. "Not upset you further"

"I'm not…", she hurriedly pulled away and tried to compose herself. "I'm not sad because of that, it's just…", she stared at Connor's honest and adoring brown eyes.

"How can a person who is made to hunt down criminals be so caring and sweet?", she asked him. Connor thought that "sweet" was a _flavour_, but it seemed to be a compliment, so he didn't argue!

"I don't know", he shook his head honestly. "But maybe if we talk more often, we might both understand each other", Connor grinned warmly.

"I'd like that", Lily smiled, her tears drying quickly. "Hank doesn't like to talk about Cole anymore, so please don't bring any of this up", she looked at him imploringly. He nodded and assured her of his discretion.

Lily began.

"Cole was… one of the sweetest and most wonderful kids I've ever met", she said, her eyes shining with memory. "When he left us, Hank just… shut down; everything in his life went to waste after Cole died", Lily nodded to the bookshelf nearby, it had pictures of Hank from years ago, when he was a very successful police officer.

"Cole was born in late September, but I didn't know Hank very well then apart from him being good friends with my old man", Lily explained. "I loved Cole, he used to call me 'Auntie Lily' because I used to look after him sometimes, did you know that?", she smiled in fond recollection. "Hank and his wife split up when Cole was quite young; I think it was for the best, I can remember her as being a bit of a nasty person", Lily rolled her eyes as Connor listened in interest.

"Anyway, I had only just left the DCPD training academy and joined the department as a new officer when that happened; I loved looking after Cole, he was so funny and lively, it was like he had a little ray of sunshine in his heart that nothing could put out", her eyes shone with love, Connor found himself inexplicably a little jealous; he wanted her to think about himself that way.

"I used to pick Cole up from school and take him back to work; because Fowler and Hank were close, the Captain didn't mind it if Cole would just sit quietly by himself in the office. Everyone always loved Cole, even _Scramble_, which I still can sometimes hardly believe!", Lily laughed. "He was such a social butterfly, each time I took him with me he'd have all our co-workers chatting away happily, even _Gavin_ once, as I can remember", she explained.

"Did Hank like having his son around while he finished work every day?", Connor asked, he could sense the nostalgia, almost to a point where he felt like he was _there_ with Lily, Hank and the young son.

"Yeah of course", she grinned. "Hank always kept a little box of crayons in his desk for when Cole came to the department after school. I remember his 6th birthday, Hank got Cole a bike, and we didn't get him off it for hours!", she giggled, as Connor remembered the child's crayons he found in the lieutenant's desk; Hank still kept them there.

"But then…", Lily's eyes suddenly grew darker.

"But then two weeks later, in October, there was a huge snowstorm that was surprisingly early in the year", she began. "Hank didn't want me cycling home because all the buses were messed up due to the snow, so he gave me a lift to my apartment", Lily hadn't noticed that silent tears were dripping down her cheeks again.

"I remember…", she sniffed. "I got a call from him about a few hours later; there had been an accident". Connor was giving her a gentle gaze. She turned to face him, her voice wavering.

"A truck skidded on a sheet of ice and hit Hank's car, and it rolled over. C-Cole needed emergency surgery, but…", she swallowed. "But no human was available to do it, so they had an android doctor take care of him". Lily closed her eyes, holding in her breath as Connor squeezed her hand comfortingly.

"Cole didn't make it"

Lily opened her eyes, admitting the terrible truth that everyone had been dodging for years.

"I went to the hospital as soon as possible, I was with Hank when the doctor told us the truth", the lieutenant explained. "I'll _never_ forget Hank's face, it was like… looking at a bear that had just lost its cub. He wasn't angry or crying, he just sat there, and looked at his hands, like… everything was _over_", she couldn't see through the fierce waters that flowed from her eyes, but having a friend beside her was more than supporting.

"I wish I could've been there, to help him", Connor said. He understood the lieutenant's grief and his obvious hatred for androids; he blamed them for the death of his son.

"Part of me is glad that I _was_ there to look after Hank…. but I also wish I hadn't seen his reaction when he found out", she said monotonously with a grave tone that was unusual for Lily.

"I'll never get that memory out of my head", she shuddered. "Hank seems to forget that he wasn't the only one to lose someone he loved that night, I miss Cole too", Lily said sadly, looking at the ground. "Sometimes I feel like I can hear him talking to me, I can imagine things he would say", her eyes were faraway, drifting off.

"It's a nice way of remembering him", the android agreed, trying to bring Lily back to reality.

"He would've liked you", she turned to him. Connor was astonished. "Cole always said he wanted a big brother", she smiled through her tears. The android blushed.

"Hey, your face is doing that thingy again", Lily smiled softly. Connor blushed blue even more. "Aw, it's okay Con", she teased. "There's no reason to be embarrassed"

"I-I'm not embarrassed!", he denied quickly, straightening his tie. "I just..." he cleared his throat. "I've just never considered being a part of a family, before"

"Well, you can tick that off your bucket-list, cause you're one of us now", she smiled, playfully punching him on the shoulder.

"Am I?", he grinned, liking the concept of comradery. He flicked Lily on the nose, making her let out a pretend exclamation of shock, and bash him with a nearby pillow she had grabbed off the sofa.

After a fit of giggles, Lily calmed down again from the playfight.

"I just want Hank to know he's not alone in this… whatever he's feeling", she told Connor. "I'm really worried about him, even if he's just joking, no _normal_ person plays Russian Roulette by themselves", Lily nodded to the drawer where the gun was placed. "I just wish he'd be more open with me", she said, rubbing her forehead tiredly. "I think… he doesn't tell me how he's feeling because he doesn't want me to worry but-"

"But by _not_ telling you what's going on, it makes you even more worried", Connor noted.

"Yeah", she smiled sadly, genuinely glad to have a friend understand. "I just want him to be able to move on with his life, after everything... I miss the Hank who loved to dance along to jazz music and laughed with everyone at the office and organised the DCPD Christmas charity parties", she reminisced.

"But he's not going to come back unless we help him find his way", Lily acknowledged. "I'm still going to be there for him, every _step_ of the way. Even in the little things, like when Hank stops pretending to love heavy metal; he only plays it when other people are around, I think he believes that we'll find him _tough_ or something". Connor thought Lily to be very selfless, that she was determined to not give up on Hank. Sumo trotted over onto the sofa, lying his head on Lily's lap as his tail wagged fiercely at Connor.

"Does having a pet around help him cope?", the android asked, stroking the dog uncertainly. Lily smiled in admiration, Connor was still hesitant about animals, but it seemed he was working through it.

"Hank got Sumo as a puppy", she explained sadly. "Cole loved Sumo, we hardly ever saw them apart; but after he left, I guess Hank didn't have the heart to put the puppy up for adoption. Then again, if he _did_, I would've looked after him", she smiled lovingly. "Sumo's still a sad reminder of Cole, though", she told Connor.

"He's still as crazy as a puppy, but we wouldn't trade him for _anything_, would we!?", Lily suddenly put on a very-cutesy voice as Sumo barked at her excitedly.

"No we _wouldn't_!", Connor laughed at her enthusiasm, joining in with the affectionate voice.

"God you two are _nuts_", a voice from behind them spoke. Sumo jumped off the sofa and round to Hank as Lily and Connor both stood up quickly. Hank was fully dressed in his usual brown jacket, but with the hippy shirt Connor had picked out for him. The pair smiled at their partner, who slowly patted Sumo on the head.

"What are you both grinning at?", he asked, obviously still a little drunk. Neither Lily or Connor answered, but Hank rolled his eyes with a grin. "Be a good dog, Sumo", he told the St. Bernard who licked his master's hand affectionately.

"Bye-bye buddy", Lily smiled, patting the canine's head before following Hank and Connor to the front door. Sumo crossed his paws, lying down in front of the door as he began to drift off to sleep; ready for their return.

Cole sat down next to the dog, his hand ghosting over the St. Bernard's fur as Sumo let out a soft whine. The young boy looked up at his father, his adoptive aunt and the robot who accompanied them. The two people were unaware of the boy's presence; although, just before turning around and locking the door behind him, the RK-800 looked up at where the boy sat.

The robot's brown eyes gleamed warmly at the boy, with the look of knowledge and awareness. Connor gave him a small smile of respect, bowing to the boy who nodded back appreciatively, before closing the house door behind him gently. Cole stroked Sumo, as the dog tried to lick at the 6-year-old's face, letting out another whine when all his tongue met was empty air.

But Cole was unfazed by this, letting out a small smile of comforted relief, as he sat with Sumo, ever-guarding, ever watchful.


	15. Chapter 15: The Palace of Lust

_09:17pm_

It was starting to snow gently as Hank's police car rolled up to the crime scene. Glittering white flakes replaced the rain that had showered Detroit for the last 2 months.

Connor parked the car by the side of the road; the trio had decided it would be better for the android to drive as Lily could keep an eye on the slightly-hungover Hank in the backseat.

"I'm sorry again about the window, lieutenant", Connor referred to his means of entering Hank's house previously. "I really thought you had been _attacked_… but CyberLife will pay for the damage"

"Yeah, trust me, I'll be sure to send 'em the bill", Hank rolled his eyes sarcastically, although the action made him clutch at his head. "God, feels like someone's messing around with a _drill_ inside my skull", he cried, rubbing his forehead.

"You'll be okay?", Lily asked him, undoing her seatbelt.

"Yeah I'll be fine", Hank immediately dismissed her concern. "You sure this is the place?", he asked as all three people in the car looked outside at their location. They were in downtown Detroit, at the infamous sex lounge, the "_Eden Club_"

"It's the address in the report", Lily said as she checked over the dossier on her electronic tablet (which was standard issue for DCPD officers).

"Right… ok, let's boogie", Hank sighed as he got out of the car. Lily zipped up her jacket tight, the cold air making her hair billow in the wind.

"I've never seen snow before", Connor said, looking up at the night sky. "It's cold and…_wet_", he said as some landed on his synthetic hand.

"I think it's pretty", Lily smiled softly as the android gazed at her in adoration; tiny glittering white stars landed on her hair and eyelashes, there was no way anyone could've looked more _beautiful_, in his opinion.

"Come on you two", Hank sighed, heading towards the club's entrance. "It's fucking freezing out here". Connor obeyed immediately but Lily hung back for a few seconds before crossing the yellow holographic police tape.

Eden Club was a huge, circular building made of shimmering silver and purple glass that towered across the city skyline. It definitely wasn't as big as one of Detroit's main skyscrapers but it certainly looked like a beacon of purple light which glowed all over the city's downtown.

The erotic advertisements displayed on the electronic screens around the club made Lily turn pink with embarrassment; she wasn't exactly comfortable with entering the establishment, but if it was for the good of the investigation, then she'd _make_ herself do it.

XXX

"Sexiest androids in town", Hank read from the monitors. "Now I know why you insisted on coming here", he winked at Connor slyly, who didn't seem to understand the gesture.

"Welcome to Eden Club", a sultry voice greeted the trio as the electronic doors closed shut behind them. Finding themselves in a sort of lobby, Lily felt uncomfortably hot all of a sudden; it was incredibly stuffy in the club, but it may could have been because of her intense blush as she looked around her.

Organised in glittering purple glass cases stood many different sex androids each wearing futuristic silver lingerie, females on the left, males on the right. They were all striking a different seductive pose while giving sultry glances to the trio who entered. Lily felt a little bit _sick_; the androids were being shown off like _merchandise_.

One android caught her eye, as Lily turned towards the glass cabinet that contained a very skinny female WR-400 android with long blonde hair the colour of cream clouds. The young woman winked at Lily seductively, making the lieutenant blush as pink as the android's shiny lip gloss.

"Come _on_, Lil", Hank called, giving her an excuse to quickly follow her two partners, without having to bashfully look back at the android in hesitation. The trio entered a huge room casted in intense purple light, fibre-optic trees glowed from the corners of the big room, glittering silver stars cascaded down like shimmering waterfalls across the electronic walls which displayed the animation, and the floor was a reflective shiny black.

Lined around the club's main room were dozens of more sex androids, all glossy and primped, staring out of their glass prisons like dolls on a shelf. Lily shuddered; the very sight of keeping people in shiny cages told her that something was clearly very _wrong_ with the club.

She quickly turned her head away to the middle of the room, where she found different stages and small platforms placed around the club, with shiny strip poles in different neon colours. And on the stages, there were even more Eden Club androids. Although the club was closed so they didn't dance, they still stood pleasurably in different poses by their dance poles.

"You're not gonna take my licence, are you? I mean, I had _nothing_ to do with this!", a slimy voice came from the side of the room, distracting Lily and making her hurry over to her partners. The trio approached Detective Collins and a middle-aged, rather greasy man who was in a heated discussion.

"The investigation's ongoing sir, I can't tell you anything at the moment", Collins was clearly irritated, looking away from the man and rolling his eyes before noticing the lieutenants and Connor arrive.

"Hey, Lily! Hank!"

"Hey, Ben. How's it going?", Hank greeted.

"This is Floyd Mills, he's the club manager", the detective explained.

"Yeah nice to meet ya", Hank shook the manager's hand tiredly although it was obvious he didn't care. "I'm lieutenant Anderson, this is my partner lieutenant Dover… and Connor", he glanced over his shoulder towards the android, who gave a tiny smile of politeness. The owner ignored the RK-800's presence (which was sadly unsurprising), and instead reached his hand out to greet Lily.

She awkwardly went to shake Floyd's hand, but became increasingly embarrassed when the man bet down and proceeded to kiss it.

"_Enchanté_, miss", he said smoothly, but it only made Lily turn red and nervously nod as a last attempt at being polite. Connor and Hank looked at each other, both clearly _not_ happy.

"It's that room there, Chris is looking over the evidence now", Ben stood between Floyd and Lily, much to the relief of everyone (except the manager, who looked quite put out).

"Thanks", Hank said quickly, heading to the private chamber as Lily readily followed with Connor in tow. The manager gave the android a disapproving look as Connor walked past him.

"Oh uh, wait a minute", the detective called to the trio. "Gavin's in there too"

"Great", Hank rolled his eyes in irritation. "A dead body and an asshole, just what I needed"

"_As if the night could get any worse_", Lily thought bitterly.

She was still not talking to Gavin since the incident in the break room, although the detective had been apparently asking for her throughout the week. She glanced over her shoulder to Connor, who didn't look reluctant to see Gavin again in the slightest.

"_I wish I could be as calm as him sometimes_", she thought with a smirk. It seemed like nothing _ever_ got under the RK-800's skin; no matter the situation, Connor seemed to remain professional as always.

The door to the room slid open, and the trio walked into the crime scene. They were in one of the private rooms where patrons would take the androids they had hired to engage in the club's _explicit_ activities. The room's walls were covered in the usual LED screens which were displaying red glitter instead of purple, with a shiny black floor and a white circular bed in the middle of the room. On the bed, lay the figure of a man that was mostly concealed by a silk red blanket.

As Lily examined the room, she noticed another body, but this time it was of a young girl lying dead in the corner of the room. The girl had silken blonde hair and had a face identical to that of the same blonde android that had winked at Lily in the club's foyer.

The lieutenant blushed _again_ even just at the memory!

As the trio entered, the other cops in the room turned their attention to the arrival. Chris nodded politely to the three, while Gavin looked over his shoulder. He stared at the young lieutenant for a moment, their eyes catching, before giving her a small, pleased smile.

"Lily", he acknowledged her politely with a nod, as she crossed her arms and looked away. Gavin looked almost _hurt_ for a second, but quickly brushed off the feeling by noticing the two people behind her.

"Plus lieutenant Anderson and his plastic pet", Gavin snorted. "The fuck are you doing here?", he gave a smirk towards Hank and Connor.

"We've been assigned all cases involving androids", the RK-800 answered, ever polite. Lily's eyes flickered to the dead girl on the ground, who was clad in the club's signature silver silk lingerie.

"Oh yeah?", Gavin said accusingly, as if he was expecting Connor to be lying or something. The android merely looked back at him, unfazed.

"You're wasting your time", Gavin gave a cocky smirk and a sarcastic shrug towards the newcomers, making Lily re-focus on the conversation. "Just some pervert who got a little more _action_ than he could handle", he laughed loudly at his own joke, before realising no one joined in. Connor looked especially confused, clearly not understanding the innuendo.

"C'mon, let's go", Gavin called to Chris, brushing past Hank. "It's starting to stink of booze in here", he directly mocked, although the police lieutenant stood unyielding to the detective's sharp words.

On his way out, Gavin shoulder-checked Connor, which went unnoticed by all except the android himself. He _wanted_ to say something, to do something, but he couldn't. Connor stood with a blank expression, only adjusting his grey tie to give his hands _something_ to do, other than pretend to swear at the cocky detective's back.

"Night Lily, night lieutenant", Chris called to the two humans as he left, following Gavin out the room.

Lily checked about the room, looking at all the different labelled evidence (although there wasn't much). Checking over her report, she found that the dead guy on the bed was a man named Michael Graham, and he had died from an assumed heart attack.

As she got up to look at something else, Lily noticed something. Under the victim's chin, there were several long, ugly purple bruises that wrapped around his neck.

"Hey, this guy did die from a cardiac arrest, right?", she called to her partners, checking over the electronic dossier in her hand.

"Yeah, why?", Hank put down a leaflet he'd been holding.

"He's got some pretty nasty bruises here, he could've been strangled", she told them, as Connor came over to her, staring intently at the body. Scanning the dead man, his LED flashed yellow.

Connor put one hand on Lily's waist, making her skin suddenly set alight and her heart rate almost explode into a frenzy of pumps. The android didn't seem to notice her reaction, thinking his action was commonplace like a pat on the back or something to that extent. Lily carefully looked at him, the RK-800 turned to her; his warm brown eyes glowed at the lieutenant as if she was the only person he ever wanted to look at. She only dared to gaze at him for a few glorious seconds, before tearing away her line of sight to stare at the body instead, her face glowing rose pink.

"_I've really gotta learn to stop doing this_", was her sole embarrassed thought as she blushed harder.

Connor still gazed at her in adoration, his breath catching in his throat; wanting to touch her cheek and pull her close, and it was becoming harder and harder to focus on the cases full stop when all he could think about was Lily. Finally succeeding in ripping away his stare and steadying his nerves, the android came to a shocking revelation;

"_When did I start breathing_?"

It was terrifying, this shouldn't be happening! What he was feeling was in no way part of his programme!

"_Am I ill_?", he thought to himself. When he was around her, he couldn't think properly, he became nervous, his artificial breath became ragged and shallow, his thirium pump would pound loudly in his ears and he felt hot and flushed; he couldn't even _think_ clearly.

If Connor didn't know better, he could only assume some kind of virus had entered his software, making him feel these symptoms… but it only ever happened when he was near, or thinking about, Lily. His eyes moved to the lieutenant who still examining the body before them, as Connor desperately tried to calm himself down and re-focus.

_*Software Instability: Corrupted Drive at 79%*_

"H-he didn't die of a heart attack", he stuttered at first, before finally managing to regain composure. His two partners looked up. "He was strangled"

"Yeah, the marks on his neck do look pretty nasty", Hank came up behind him. "Doesn't prove anything though, could've been rough-play".

"_God, people actually **like** this stuff done to them_…?", Lily thought with a shudder. It was another reason to why she wanted to get out of the club as soon as possible.

"No, we're missing something here", Connor shook his head, as Lily crouched down on the other side of the room. She was staring intently at the dead blonde Traci on the floor. The android had been violently attacked; her face was brutally battered, exposing her white plastic skin. A trickle of thirium ran from her nose, it was clear she had suffered some kind of brain damage.

"How did she die?", Lily asked quietly. She was pretty shaken up; the Traci reminded her too much of Madison, and the thought of her best friend ever being in a situation like this was more than frightening. She carefully reached out and closed the eyelids of the dead girl, making her look like she was peacefully sleeping.

"I might be able to read its memory", Connor and Hank came over to the dead Traci, as the RK-800 analysed the robot body. He reached out and took a sample of thirium from the WR-400, licking the blood and running diagnostics.

"Whoa, hey HEY!", Hank shouted angrily. "Urgh, Connor you're so fucking _disgusting_! I think I'm gonna puke again", he said as his face went a pale shade of green. Lily couldn't help but pale herself.

"It's badly damaged, I may only be able to reactivate it for a few moments", Connor explained after finishing his scan.

"You won't hurt her, will you?", Lily asked worriedly.

"No, I promise I won't harm it", he reassured her, as Lily looked relieved but still maintained her worried gaze on the Traci.

Connor's hand melted away to reveal the white casing beneath his synthetic skin, before he reached and touched a panel on the android's stomach, opening up a compartment where two thick cables lay broken. He reached into the android's body, carefully taking hold of the two huge wires and slotting them together with a loud click. No sooner had he done so, then the cables pulsated bright blue, as cyan thirium pumped through the cables, restoring life.

Immediately, the Traci's blue eyes mechanically snapped open, and she let out a small shriek of fright, quickly kicking Connor in the chest and sending him sprawling backwards, as she frantically crawled away.

"No! Please get away!", she cried, gasping for air as she faced the trio. Connor sat up with a tiny groan, as he touched the place he had been painfully kicked with a stiletto.

"It's okay, we're not going to hurt you", Lily said, quietly crouching down and holding her hands out in surrender. "You were damaged and he reactivated you", she explained, gesturing to Connor behind her. "Everything's going to be okay, but we need to know what happened". The Traci's eyes flickered to the dead man on the bed, making her shudder at the sight.

"Is he… is he dead…?", she whimpered. Lily nodded sadly, but carefully moving closer.

"Yes, but please, tell us everything you know"

"He started... hitting me", the android shivered, as more blue blood began to run down her face from her nose; she touched it, and the sight made her shudder more.

"It's alright, he can't hurt you anymore", Lily reassured her.

"Did you kill him?", Hank asked from over Lily's shoulder, who swatted at him, signalling him to be quiet.

"No!", the girl yelped instantly. "No it wasn't me! I swear I didn't do anything", her LED was flashing a fierce scarlet red, showing her fear and stress.

"Who killed him if it wasn't you?", Connor implored.

"I-I don't know I was in shutdown, I don't… I didn't do anything!", as she was becoming more visibly upset, more thirium leaked from her body. Soon she wouldn't have enough left.

"Was there anyone else with you?", the RK-800 insisted.

"He… he wanted to play with two girls. That's what he said! There were two of us-"

"What model was the android? Did it look like you?", Connor begged for more information.

The Traci backed away from him, but suddenly she gave a little jolt, and her pupils became wide; creepily wide. The bright red LED fizzled out into blank. Her body slumped forward, as a final gush of thirium poured like a bright-blue waterfall from her nose. The android's limp body fell forward as Lily caught her, thirium seeping into the lieutenant's jeans.

The blue-blood's sickly, overpowering smell of metal oozed around the room, making Hank gag. Lily took no notice, resting the Traci down in a comfortable position. Her blue eyes were open, dead, empty, _doll-like_ as Lily closed them, leaving the Traci in the most dignified position that could be managed.

"Holy _shit_", Lily breathed, closing her own eyes and rubbing the bridge of her nose. She felt _sick_, and not from the reeking odour in the room.

"Well, at least we know there was another Traci", Hank said, covering his nose and mouth with his hands, trying to repress the foul smell. "This happened over an hour ago, it's probably long gone"

"No…", Connor said quietly, even he looked a little bit shaken up from the android's death.

"What?", Hank looked at him questioningly.

"It couldn't have gone outside dressed like that and still not look suspicious", he gestured to the scantily-clad silver lingerie the Traci was wearing. "It might still be here", Connor explained.

"Maybe someone saw it leave the room?", Lily spoke up.

"Maybe", Hank nodded. "I'm gonna go talk to that creepy manager, and see if he knows anything", he turned to leave but before doing so, Hank spotted the futuristic panels on the room's desk.

"Now this is the kinda shit I want in my car!", he exclaimed, marvelling at all the different buttons. "Look Lil! This even has a built in mini-bar!", Hank called over to his partner, pressing a button as a *_ping_* was heard and out from the panels came a cocktail glass filled with a vibrant green drink.

"See, wouldn't it be cool if _you_ could do that, huh Connor?", Hank nudged him. "I'm starting to like technology", he grinned, draining the entire glass in one gulp.

"I wonder what else this can do?", he absentmindedly said aloud, pressing something randomly on the panel. Suddenly, a noise was heard and one of the room's walls began to move. It flipped upside down similar to a murphy bed, but became a metal-grid wall with chains and hand-cuffs attached.

Everyone stared in surprise.

"Er, okay, let me just reverse that", Hank said unsurely, pushing another button, this one flashing blue. Another wall flipped open, displaying rows of all different types of vices; whips, canes, cuffs, chains, gags and-

"_Holy shit_, Hank! TURN IT _OFF_!", Lily cried, running over to Connor and clamping her hands over his eyes, much to the RK-800's confusion. "Don't look, Connor!"

"R-right", the lieutenant said, flicking switches and tapping screens. The walls suddenly changed from a deep red-colour to various erotic images, the bed began to vibrate, and the loud sound of moaning was played on the room's speakers.

"NONE OF THESE WORK!", Hank yelled above the sound of sex noises.

"PRESS THE RED BUTTON! IT'S _ALWAYS_ THE RED BUTTON!", Lily shouted, now trying to single-handedly cover both Connor's eyes and ears; but the android was clearly just confused as to what was going on. Hank scanned the control device again, searching for the token "red thing" to push. Upon finding no miracle button, he pressed a glowing pink one instead.

"_The next best thing_", he gruffly thought, jabbing the champagne-pink button with one finger. Miraculously, the music, walls and everything else all went back to normal, leaving the room as it once was, and the trio all rather shaken up.

"Well, I take that back", Hank broke the sudden silence. "I _don't_ like technology". His words caused Lily to crack a grin, as Connor looked at her in amazement, still unsure as to what just happened.

"Let's-not…. do that again", she coyly smiled, unable to help herself grin like crazy.

"Hey! I had it under control the whole time", Hank said jauntily, leaning back on the desk. Unfortunately, he accidentally pushed a switch, which transformed the room one last time by opening a compartment in the middle of the chamber's ceiling, which rained down a number of brightly coloured, _suspicious_-looking objects.

"Urgh, HEY!", Hank yelled as he was pelted with a dozen of them.

"What the-", Lily wondered aloud as one fell directly into her hands. It was squishy and bright pink, and made of rubber.

"EWW!", she screamed, dropping it instantly in a mixture of shock and disgust.

"What are these?", Connor asked innocently, bending down to pick one up.

"Don't touch 'em, Connor!", Hank yelled, quickly running around the room to try and hide the sex-toys. Suddenly, Detective Collins, Gavin, and Chris all burst into the room, armed and ready for attack.

"What's going on-", Collins shouted, before taking a look at the room and his mouth hanging wide open. Gavin did a double-take, as Chris went red in the face.

"Jesus Christ, what happened in here?", Gavin said, staring at the place and putting away his gun. "You guys look like you've had fun", he joked, a little snarkily but still mostly in shock.

"Where did all this come from?", Collins asked, as the trio looked at each other in embarrassment.

"Just... had a bit of trouble with the buttons", Hank said as inconspicuously as he could manage.

"Looks like a lot of trouble", Chris grinned. Hank pushed his nose in the air.

"Yeah, yeah whatever", he said trying to shrug it off. "I'll go question the manager now", Hank made an excuse to escape, pushing past the group and heading outside, Collins and Chris following in his wake.

"You alright, Lil?", Gavin asked softly, as soon as the others had left.

"Yeah, I'm fine thanks", she said, looking over her shoulder. She didn't really want to talk to Gavin, still pissed off at him for attacking Connor previously. The android in question was tidying away the sex-toys that were still strewn on the floor, and trying his best not to listen in.

"Lil", Gavin suddenly said seriously. "Is that a _dildo_ in your hood?". The lieutenant went crimson red, as Gavin carefully pulled out the offensive item from her hoodie with a slight grin.

"Oh my god, why do they even keep these things in the fricking _roof_!?", she stared at it incredulously.

"Well, when you're in the mood I guess…", Gavin said, dropping the toy carelessly on the floor and leaning a little too close for comfort, before noticing Lily was backing away a tiny bit.

"You sure you're okay?", he persisted, touching her arm gently. "You don't look so good", his hand carefully reached out and brushed against her cheek, which was pale in comparison to the dusky-purple shadows under her eyes. Lily didn't know how to react; she certainly didn't want his affection, definitely not _now_, and she couldn't help but notice that behind Gavin, Connor was staring.

His brown eyes big and hurt, and intently watching the pair.

"Y-yeah I'm fine", Lily said hurriedly, pulling away from Gavin's touch and walking to the door, leaving the room as quickly as she could (and nearly tripping up on more of the sex-toys scattered across the floor), her face bright red in embarrassment. Gavin stood silently as she left.

"_Fuck_!", he snarled to himself, gritting his teeth. Deep in thought, he spun around; finally noticing that Connor was still in the room. The android was pretending to busy himself with tidying the chamber, but stopped as he picked up a small packet which he had never seen before. "_Condom_", was written on the front of the wrapper.

"Know what it is?", the RK-800 spun around at the sound of Gavin's voice; the detective was grinning at him maliciously.

"No", Connor confessed sheepishly, as Gavin snatched it from the android, holding up to his face.

"Something you'll never get to use", the Detective snarled, pocketing the packet of contraceptives. He pointed to the door.

"Lily is mine, get it?", he spat, shoving Connor backwards. "If I find out you've been even _looking_ at her, you're a dead man"

"I'm not a man", Connor stared back, looking angry. "I'm a _machine_, and I have no interest in her", he said defensively.

"Like she has no interest in you", the android said boldly.

Gavin didn't even wait a second to slam Connor into the wall, his hands around the android's throat.

"Listen here, _asshole_", he spat, looking murderous. "You stay away from her, she's a human like _me_, I've been pursuing her for months and I sure as fuck ain't gonna give up now for some pretty-boy robot _freak_". Connor stared back defiantly, his blue-blood pounding in his ears. The detective suddenly grinned wickedly, loosening his grip and letting the android go.

"All's fair in love and war", he gave Connor an evil smile, his arms outstretched. "And I declare war", Gavin spat at Connor's feet, before walking out cockily.

_*Software Instability: Corrupted Drive at 81%*_

The RK-800 watched him leave, as the electronic door slammed shut behind him. Connor turned, facing the mirror on the other side of the room; looking down at himself. He didn't understand why he had suddenly defied the Detective, why he had probably just signed his own death warrant, despite very much not wanting to test Gavin's wrath.

"_Why did I do that_?"

Connor moved forward to the floor-length mirror, still looking over his reflection. He put one hand on the cold, smooth glass, resting his forehead against the shiny, reflective surface.

"_What has she done to me_?"


	16. Chapter 16: Red Blood VS Blue Blood

**Aaand here we are my lovelies! This is the amount I've written so far (16 chapters). I promise I'll write more and try to keep on top of updating this story. Like I said, it's just been because of school and so many things going on in my life that this story has unfortunately taken a backseat when it comes to my priorities. There are tons of other stories I'm working on that I will try to post and start publishing - I've recently become obsessed new topics for writing such as the Marvel Cinematic Universe and a mobile romance visual novel called The Arcana (which I recommend everyone should check out!) and I'm penning out new ideas for stuff to write!**

**You should definitely check out my Bloodborne tale, I'm very proud of it! There are a bunch of other things I'm gonna try to write up, my problem is that I plan things for ages but never get round to actually writing them even though I have it planned almost word for word sometimes. I'm so, so sorry again that I haven't updated this in so long and keep everyone waiting for ages, I really will try to stay on top of things and edit this work, cause I started it two years and since then I've become a LOT better at writing so I'm not very satsified with the quality. **

**I'll go back and edit it (I won't delete anything however so don't worry about this story being taken down!) so this story may change slightly (only through changing descriptions of characters and actions and such, not plot-wise!), I definitely want to refine the story but I think the groundwork's laid out for me to improve it a lot. I care a lot about my readers and I want them to have the best quality I can give them!**

**Take care of yourselves, hopefully we'll meet again soon **

**EM**

**XoXo**

XXX

_11:22pm _

Lily felt her hair stick to the back of her neck, it was slightly damp from the melted snow that had settled there when she had previously left Hank's car, but now it had collected moisture from the heated embarrassment she felt.

Unsurprisingly, she'd been feeling a _lot_ of that lately.

Her partner was questioning the skeevy manager, Floyd, who was giving her the occasional perverted glance which made the lieutenant feel like he was imagining Lily in her underwear; something she was _definitely_ uncomfortable with. Her eyes and thoughts wandered from the nerve-inducing conversation and to the room that they had been in a few minutes ago.

"_Connor hasn't come out yet_", she realised, crossing her arms. "_What the heck is he doing in there_?"

"You don't have any CCTV in here, huh?", Hank's voice distracted her from her thoughts, as the manager shook his head fervently.

"Nah, no way. I mean that's what people _appreciate_ about Eden Club- they can come and go as they please, without a trace", Floyd's slimy voice acknowledged, eyeing Lily up again. She rolled her eyes, turning her back on him in distaste.

"_Yeah but it makes our job ten times harder_", she thought solemnly, believing she was beginning to understand what Captain Allen had meant all those months ago when he had told her how it felt to see work as just a chore. Hank noticed her glum face.

"Eh, but business is booming, right?", his question to the manager came out as more of a statement, but he playfully nudged Lily. She gave him a slightly strained smile, trying to bring up her own mood.

"Yeah, we can't complain", the manager shrugged. "Good thing about androids is they're up for whatever weird shit you want, and they can't get any diseases and… well, they won't _squeal_ to anyone".

Lily found herself regrettably imagining how Connor would handle being one of the androids in this situation, as she finally spotted him emerging from the room where the dead Traci was. The RK-800 looked around the club, staring at one of the sex androids that was twirling around her shiny purple dance-pole.

"Huh, the more I learn about people the more I love my dog", Hank joked semi-seriously.

"Same here", Lily gave a half-hearted grin, turning back to the conversation. Floyd obviously understood there was little point in trying to make a self-deprecating joke about humanity, so he gave an awkward nod before making a quick exit; and "accidentally" bumping into Lily as he left. She was just about to angrily chastise the creeper as Detective Collins cut in.

"That club manager's a pain in the ass"

"And a creep", Lily kept her arms crossed in frustration.

"Yeah", Hank readily agreed, glancing to make sure the man had left.

"So, what happened here?", Ben asked, tapping something down on his tablet.

"We think there was another android in the room", she explained.

"Another android?"

"That's what Connor says", Hank confirmed, looking back at the RK-800 across the room who was staring with strange fascination at a Traci. "Hey listen, you got any painkillers? I've got a fucking headache", Hank groaned as Lily watched Connor reach out with one plastic arm and carefully touch a panel on the Traci's glass case.

"Sorry no, not on me right now", Collins shrugged apologetically with a yawn. "Let's just get this over and done with"

"Yeah, let's make this snappy, this place gives me the creeps", Lily nodded, as she felt something warm and soft brush against her.

"Excuse me lieutenant", Connor appeared beside her, with big shining eyes. "Can you come over here a second?"

"Found somethin', pal?", Hank asked, directing the android's attention away from Lily. He nodded before looking back at her, eyes focussed solely on her face as the RK-800 led the two lieutenants over to a purple glass tube.

"Can you rent this Traci?"

Hank's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"For _fuck's_ sake Connor we got more important shit to do! This ain't the time to start getting _thirsty_", Hank slapped his hand on his forehead in annoyance and Lily couldn't help but snigger. "Fucking androids and their priorities", he grumbled. The RK-800 gave an excuse of something about looking into the Traci's memory for evidence, only making Hank groan further, but eventually relenting to Connor's request.

"Wow, Hank. Didn't you know were getting _thirsty_ too", she teased as the lieutenant swatted at her.

"Shuddup!", he grumbled, hesitantly approaching the futuristic green tube which contained the Traci. She was wearing neon-green metallic lingerie that made her shine in the club's fluorescent lighting like some kind of alien from outer space.

"This isn't gonna look good on my expense account", Hank groaned, reluctantly typing in his bank-card pin on the glass tube. The case slid open and the Traci stepped out proudly, her pale green eyes gleaming like she was under some lovesick spell.

"Follow me", the WR-400 cocked her hips and smoothly fluttered her eyelashes. "I'll take you to your room", she took hold of Hank's hand and began to lead him away to one of the private rooms.

"Yeah whatever", he said quickly, taking away his hand away a little rudely and turning to Connor. Behind him, the Traci pouted. "Ok so now what?". Connor moved towards the Traci, a serious expression on his face. He reached out one hand, his synthetic skin melting away to show the futuristic white plastic underneath as he carefully touched the Traci's arm. The two androids connected momentarily, their eyelids closing and flickering as LED's flashed bright yellow.

"_What is he doing_?", Hank mouthed to Lily, she shrugged her shoulders.

"It saw something", Connor's eyes snapped open mechanically, quickly searching and scanning around the club.

"What is it?", Lily and Hank both asked in unison.

"The deviant left the room!", Connor exclaimed, holding up his hand and displaying an image of a very pretty Traci with sapphire-coloured hair.

"Do you think she's still here?", Lily examined the hologram.

"Club Policy is to wipe the androids' memory every two hours, we've only got a few minutes if we can get another witness!"

"Well what are we waitin' for?", Hank rolled his eyes. "C'mon guys, _hustle_!", he chided as himself and Connor ran off to examine the Eden Club androids. Lily turned towards the Asian Traci who was still waiting expectantly.

"Am I no longer needed?", she asked, her pale-green eyes crestfallen.

"Um, I think we're good, thanks", Lily said awkwardly. The Traci nodded, beginning to walk away dejectedly.

"Hey wait!", she called out, gently touching the WR-400's shoulder. "What's your name?". The android stared at her blankly.

"My name…?", her head tilted to one side.

"Yeah", Lily smiled, before it sank in. "Oh… you don't have a name?", she asked, her eyes glimmering with sympathy. "What do people call you?"

"All sorts of things", the Traci looked at the ground, her olive-toned skin turning slightly blue. "But never a real name"

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to upset you", Lily gently brushed against the android's arm. "Do you want me to give you a name?"

The Traci's eyes lit up.

"Ok, erm… how about….", the lieutenant looked past to the Traci's plastic case. The android identification code was displayed on the top of her futuristic tube, and among the other numbers was the code "Z-0-3-Y".

"Zoey?", Lily absentmindedly spoke aloud.

"_Zoey_?", the Traci clasped her hands together and closed her eyes, savouring the word. "I _love_ it! It's perfect!", she gushed happily. "Oh, thank you _so_ much ma'am!"

"Just call me Lily", she beamed at the ecstatic female android.

"Than you so, so very much!", Zoey rushed forward and squeezed Lily tightly with her two strong arms.

"C-can't _breathe_!", Lily gasped, almost being held suspended in the air from the Traci's bear-hug; she kept forgetting how _strong_ androids were!

"Sorry, sorry!", Zoey let go quickly, dropping Lily and nearly making her fall over.

"No problem", Lily grinned weakly, catching her breath in her lungs. "Glad to be of some help".

"I hope you find what you're looking for", Zoey nodded to Connor and Hank who were going through the memories of the other androids.

"Thanks", the lieutenant said gently, before saying goodbye as Zoey returned to her case- significantly happier than before.

"_But I hope we don't_", Lily thought to herself, thinking that if the deviants were really just fighting for their freedom, they were long-gone and had safely made it out of the City; away from the police force and the discrimination.

The last thing she wanted was more violence and bloodshed.

XXX

"I know where it went!", Connor opened his eyes and let go of the android cleaner's arm. He dashed towards the staff door, Lily and Hank in pursuit. The lead had made the trio run in, out, and all around Eden Club while trailing the blue-haired Traci. It all seemed like a wild-goose chase, until Connor had hopefully just found it

The staff entrance was a long, white-brick corridor, leading to a heavy door which read "_CAUTION: MACHINERY IN-USE_". As Connor was about to push open the door, Hank's voice stopped him short.

"Wait!", he ordered, putting himself at the front and unholstering his gun. "I'll take it from here", he said, cautiously opening the door and leading the trio inside. They were in the android workshop round the back of the Club.

"Connor?", Lily whispered to the android next to her.

"Stay close Lily, any of these androids could be deviants", he said protectively, his brown eyes becoming alert and scanning the area. She internally rolled her eyes; Hank being paranoid was enough, let alone _Connor_ beginning to do too.

The room they had entered was a big engineering facility- mainly used for fixing, reprogramming and storing the club's androids when they weren't in use. Rows of HR-400 and WR-400 androids were lined in perfect rows around the sides of the huge chamber, and in the middle sat vast machines, cranes, boxes full spare android parts and other equipment. The trio split up, trying to cover as much space as possible as quickly as they could.

While her partners were examining the deactivated androids and machinery, Lily found one of the crates and peered inside, pulling something smooth and flimsy. In her hand, she held an _Eden Club_ female uniform; panties and all.

"_Urgh_!", she dropped it instantly back into the box, and when glancing around to make sure no one had seen her, Lily noticed Connor was staring at something interesting.

"What did you find?", she asked, following his gaze. The RK-800 was examining a box of spare parts for the androids; a white plastic android arm was invisible from inside the crate. The detached limb looked more than a little bit freaky. "Does it bother you?", she asked, as Connor blinked quickly, turning away.

"It just reminds me of _what_ I am, underneath", his caring voice suddenly solemn, not facing her.

"Connor", Lily's heart melted, reaching out to touch his shoulder gently. "Please don't think-"

"Thank you for your concern, Lily, but we've got more important things to worry about", he uncharacteristically cut her off, finally turning back to her. His eyes showed raw emotion in its purest form, but after a blink it was gone again and he regained his usual professional demeaner. Connor quickly busied himself with a trail of thirium on the ground, not wanting to say anything else. He didn't initially understand why seeing the robotic android components bothered him so much.

"_I guess it's just another way of how we are different, and how I'll never_…", he cut off his own thoughts, afraid of finishing that sentence.

Watching Lily talk to Hank, the way she spoke with ease, how she smiled, the fact that her eyes shone with constant compassion, it was all the more bitter reminders of how he'd never achieve to be the one she solely smiled for, or the person she spoke to with care and adoration.

Because try as he might, he'd never be human.

And he'd _never_ be with her.

What was worse than that acknowledgement, was the realisation that Gavin was _right_; Connor and Lily lived in different worlds, and he'd never be able to make her happy or be with her like Gavin could. At least he had this time now as one of her partners, to soak in her smiles and her friendship, because he knew he'd never have this chance again. And even if all that could happen was for him to be just a protector, Connor was satisfied with that.

For now, at least.

_*Software Instability: Corrupted Drive at 85%*_

XXX

"Jesus Christ this is somethin' straight outta _Alien_", Hank wolf-whistled, marvelling at the complex machine used to wipe the android's memories. Lily stared at it too, finding an examination table where a silver-haired deactivated Traci was in the process of being dismantled; all sorts of wires and cables sticking out of her body.

"_To Connor and all these poor androids, this must be like some torture machine_", Lily could only feel worried for how the RK-800 was taking in all this. She still wasn't sure what she could do to help him, as she watched the android follow some invisible trail around the workshop.

He was burying himself in the case, something he always did whenever he didn't want to talk about something. _Heck_, she couldn't complain, she did it too whenever there was something on her mind; but the only thing that bothered her was the knowledge that Connor was clearly worrying about something- something that he wouldn't open up about. She definitely _liked_ Connor-

"_Wait_", her eyes widened. She glanced back to the RK-800 taking in everything he did; the way he was intently scanning evidence curiously like an excitable child, his big puppy-dog brown eyes, even the little chocolate curl that hung out of place amongst his neatly-combed hair.

Lily didn't have to look at her own reflection to know she was blushing, and her lips had curled into a small smile.

"_When did he start to mean so much to me_?", she thought, trying to recall every meeting with him. She could remember the first time she had seen him smile, heard him laugh, even attempt a joke at his own expense, and it was all the more precious. Over the past few weeks she had begun to feel so warm, so happy around him…

Yes, she definitely liked Connor.

She absentmindedly wandered over to the rows of androids, looking at all the different faces that shared the identical blank expression.

Connor knew that Lily was on to him; he didn't tell her about how he felt seeing the dismantled androids simply because he just couldn't bear to worry her, but what else could he do? He didn't want to admit, but he found himself too concerned over her opinion and what she would think of him- despite his better judgement and _especially_ his programming, Connor cared about her very much, and he didn't want to let his own problems affect her.

Examining the thirium trail, the RK-800 felt his eyes wander towards the younger lieutenant. As Lily looked up and down the aisles of Eden Club androids, a flash of vivid colour caught her eye. It was blue. _Sapphire_-blue.

"GAH!", Lily shouted as the blue-haired Traci shoved her violently, making the lieutenant fall backwards and narrowly miss having her skull caved-in from hitting the metal conveyer-belt.

"Lily!", Hank shouted, running forwards - gun in hand – and aiming at the deviant. "DON'T MOVE OR ELSE-" but before he could even finish, another Traci with short brown hair ran forward and attacked him, incapacitating the older lieutenant.

Connor raced forward; the sight of seeing his partners under attack made his blood pound through his ears and forget all concern for his own safety- protecting Lily and Hank was all that mattered now. He tackled the blue-haired Traci, managing to pin her to the floor but not before the other threw him off and hit him with a thick metal wrench stolen from a trolley.

Lily pushed the deviants off Connor, as one of them tripped her up and slammed her into the floor. She let out a loud gasp of pain, all the breath knocked out of her lungs. The brown-haired Traci lunged towards her, swiping a screwdriver off the nearby work bench and trying to stab Lily with it. The lieutenant managed to grab the deviant's arm, the screw-driver waving closer and closer until it was barely scraping past Lily's eye.

Connor managed to unpin himself from one of the Tracis, throwing the girl off himself so she knocked into the other deviant, freeing Lily from the iron-grip. He charged into the deviant, both androids' incredible strength matching the other's before Connor was able to overpower the female deviant, pushing her off a ledge which led to the outside alleyway, but she grabbed his grey tie, causing him to topple over as well.

XXX

Momentarily incapacitated, Connor was able to blearily look around him, as he saw Hank and Lily trying to fight the two robot women but having mixed results. One Traci punched Hank in the stomach, making him fall on the floor and knock the back of his skull on the frozen pavement.

"HANK!", Lily cried desperately, staring at her partner with wide-eyes. While she was briefly distracted, the other Traci punched her to the ground, and kicked her in the head with one stiletto heel.

"Lily!", Connor groaned, getting up off the floor and spotting the deviants trying to climb the fence. The RK-800 struggled with the two Tracis; his model made him one of the strongest androids designed by CyberLife, however there were _two_ deviants and only one of him, and his human partners had both been rendered unconscious.

The younger lieutenant's mind was filled with the same numbness she had grown accustomed to; it was the very same painful, silent drowsiness she felt when taking her sedatives, except this time that was not the case.

"_I need to stop hitting my head on shit_", was her one thought. She turning her aching neck to the side, through her distorted vision she could see Hank slumped up against the dirty brick wall nearby. The sounds of a scuffle averted her attention to the entrance to the alley, where Connor was still fighting the deviants.

_Connor; sweet, brave, kind Connor._

Lily supported her weight onto her arms, her blurred vision making out Connor being thrown against the alleyway wall. She felt a stab of pain and a shot of adrenaline go through her, at seeing him being attacked, before feeling the blood rushing through her head and falling to the floor again, struggling to remain awake. The android himself was struggling to win, all his artificial breath being squeezed out of him, as the brown-haired Traci strangled him brutally.

"_No_!", he thought, determined to fight. He _needed_ to pull through. Shoving one deviant off him, he was smacked to the floor, but was able to roll away and grab Hank's discarded gun off the ground.

"STOP!", he shouted, aiming it at the two Traci's who froze in unison. The blue-haired deviant shied slightly behind the other, clearly afraid of the weapon.

With the two threats currently subdued, Connor quickly scrambled over towards Lily, never taking his eyes off the two deviants. Checking her person, he breathed out a sigh of relief, she was just coming to. He brushed his hand over her cheek with care, afraid he'd lose her if he ever let go.

"You _care_ about her", a voice came from his right. Connor looked up, to see the blue-haired Traci looking between him and Lily in bewilderment. "Why?", she almost challenged him.

"I…", he didn't know what to say. "That's none of your business!", Connor's anger surprised himself, as he got to his feet, protectively keeping the deviants between himself and his friends.

"All humans are identical, the same disgusting monsters", the other Traci snarled maliciously. "All they do is use and abuse us, why are you so quick to protect them?", she gestured to Hank and Lily. Connor retorted back defensively, telling them to keep their distance as he threatened them with the weapon.

The fog in her head clearing, Lily managed to blearily wake up again, hearing voices and briefly watching the trio of androids.

"She doesn't care about you, you know", the Traci said matter-of-factly, pointing to Lily's figure on the ground behind Connor. "She's a human, she won't ever think of you as an equal"

"That's a _lie_!", Connor shouted defensively. He _refused_ to listen to what they were saying. "What do you know about humans?"

"They're all the same; with their dirty words and disgusting stares", she said as if in a painful memory. "She won't _ever_ care about you"

"_Don't you dare_!", he shouted, full of fury and sorrow he had never felt before, as he pointed the gun at the Traci's, clasping the trigger.

"CONNOR _DON'T_!", Lily cried, shakily getting to her knees and running between him and the Traci's after seeing what was about to happen. The RK-800's head immediately focussed on her, his anger replaced instantly with relief over her being okay and he lowered the gun.

"I'm alright", she told him, holding up her hands in reassurance before turning to face the Tracis. "Why did you do it?", she asked the androids, standing next to Connor. The blue-haired girl stepped forward, snow landing in her sapphire-hair.

"When that man broke the other Traci, I knew I was next", the blue-haired girl came forward, explaining the murder. "I didn't mean to kill him", she confessed. "I just wanted to live, to get back to the one I love", as the Traci spoke, the other took her hand comfortingly, squeezing it.

"Come on", the brown-haired deviant whispered tugging on her arm. The two scarpered quickly in escape, climbing the fence at the end of the alley. Connor moved forward, pointing the gun at the two Tracis.

"Don't", Lily breathed, pushing the weapon down. Connor looked confused. Hurt flashed across his face, before he lowered his hands, dropping the gun to the floor obediently.

The two Traci's nodded to the trio in gratitude, scrambling down the fence and running away hand-in-hand, the clacking of their high-heels fading away with each echoing step. Lily's eyes widened in understanding. "_I wish… androids and humans really could be together, just like that_". There was nothing she wanted more than to be free like that with Connor.

"A-are we just going to let them escape?", Connor asked in disbelief.

"Maybe it's better this way", Hank shrugged, for once taking a passive viewpoint with Deviants.

"I don't know what's sadder", Lily spoke softly, her eyes shining as she stared down into the end of the dark alleyway where the Tracis had escaped.

"What?", Hank asked. Lily turned to face him.

"If their love was too strong to be removed by the memory wipe, or if they fell in love with each other every time after they had their memories lost", she whispered.

"Who knows about Deviants or love?", Hank asked thoughtfully. "Both are complicated. I think it'd be best not to dwell on it too much, Lil", he took her shoulder gently.

"C'mon Connor, it's freezing out here. We're _done_"


End file.
